VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
Seminar History and Theory of Urban Design: From the Ground Up: Landscapes of Mass Housing
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:21
Abstract
This seminar studies the expansive landscapes of post-war housing estates across Europe. Students will investigate the historical roles and future potential of these sites through case studies and explore the interplay between architecture, land transformation, and governance. Through both research and design methods, the course addresses contemporary territorial and environmental challenges.
Objective
Students will develop their close reading skills to question authors, relate to personal experience, and understand the architectural and sociopolitical significance of mass housing landscapes. High emphasize will be on active in-class participation. They will learn to identify and verify reliable sources and lead scholarly group discussions. Participants will also synthesize research, and produce an analytical essay and a drawing, thereby directly engaging with the translation process from research to action.
Content
Post-war housing estates are specific, recognizable neighborhoods across Europe. Initially celebrated, and later heavily criticized, they have more recently been revisited within architectural history and education for their technological innovations and sociopolitical significance between 1945 and 1990, the end of World War II and the end of the Cold War. Beyond their architectural innovations of the time, the housing estates particularly stand out from other residential neighborhoods because of their expansive, continuous, and lush landscapes. This dimension of open and public spaces has received little attention in the field of landscape and architecture. The seminar explores the importance of post-war housing estates by collectively co-producing and testing methods to study both the past role and future potential of the landscapes. Students will examine the dynamic interplay between housing estates and broader land transformations across multiple scales and time periods. Through selected post-war housing case studies across Europe, the seminar explores new political and ecological avenues to reconsider their architectural character. Which diverse agencies shaped these projects? Which role did the land and landscape play in their design and construction? And how do multiple senses of time and space unfold? By following these questions together, the seminar will illuminate the potential of mass housing estates in addressing territorial, climatic, and socio-cultural challenges. The seminar combines case study analysis, close reading, collective discussion, and small design interventions with a strong focus on in-class participation to sharpen critical thought of emerging architectural practicioners.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC
- Frequency
- Semesterly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 18
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar |
Seminar History and Theory of Urban Design: From the Ground Up: Landscapes of Mass Housing
No teaaching on October 22 (Seminar Week) and in the last two weeks of the semester.
|
No time listed | 2 h weekly |