VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
Future Cities Laboratory Indicia 03: Actions and Evidence for Future Settlements
Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:30:30
Abstract
The course is organised based on research conducted at the Future Cities Laboratory (FCL) and its recent publication, Indicia 03. It introduces the background and motivations behind FCL’s focus on cities, highlighting the challenges urban areas face and approaches FCL employs to address them. The course aims to facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and critical thinking across domains.
Objective
We expect students to achieve the following objectives at the end of the course: * Be familiar with key concepts in urbanisation, city systems, and their academic study. * Learn about the main research results of FCL regarding sustainable urban development in an interdisciplinary format. * Critically analyse diverse urban issues and debates, formulate and evaluate research questions related to urban phenomena.
Content
FCL Global helps shape sustainable cities and settlement systems through science, by design, in place, and over time. Cities are highly complex systems with interconnections between their social, economic, natural, and built environments. Many different academic fields address urban questions, spanning a wide range of disciplines and urban sectors, including urban planning, architecture, civil engineering, economics, public policy, sociology, geography, public health, and environmental sciences. Tackling the grand challenges that cities face today requires multidisciplinary teams that can work together, considering the complexity of urban systems and both local and global contexts. FCL’s research covers multiple disciplines and scales, from the individual citizens to larger communities and from small villages to megacities and offers important insights into the development of future settlements worldwide. The course will draw from Indicia 03, published in 2022, as well as ongoing research projects and recent findings. The course will be delivered through a blend of lectures and moderated discussions. Lecture weeks will provide background and context on diverse urban topics including: * Urban systems theory, modelling, and simulation * Cities, urbanisation, and current challenges * Society and space * Cities and complexity * Socio-spatial differentiation and urban disparities Dialogue weeks will consist of 4-6 weeks of moderated discussions with invited guest speakers from FCL, presenting their work and engaging in dialogues on topics such as: * Design Liveable Density * Powering the City * Resource Efficient Urban Intensification * Sustainable and Innovative Materials in Urban Construction * Reducing the Impact of Cities on Non-Urban Land * Adaptive Mobility, Land-Use, and Infrastructure * User-Centred Design in Cities * Blue-Green Infrastructures
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- session examination
- Mode
- oral 30 minutes
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| colloquium |
Future Cities Laboratory Indicia 03: Actions and Evidence for Future Settlements
Does not take place this semester.
|
No time listed | 2 h weekly |