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History of Urban Design I
Geschichte des Städtebaus I
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:00:36
Abstract
The lecture covers the time from the beginning of urban culture until the mid 19th century. With selected examples it emphasizes on the historical plannings and methods of European cities. Each specific urban development will be presented within a broader context.
Objective
This course analyzes the history of urban architecture primarily in its existing three dimensional form as a complex human artefact. It also explores the inspirations that prompted the creation of this artefact: philosophical and religious concepts, social conditions, property relationships and the mechanisms that exploit the economics of real estate and the influence of building technology. Intellectual, literary or artistic modes of thought will also be assessed with regard to their impact on urban development. Urbanism has its own distinctive approach as a discipline, but it is also clearly responsive to the influence of related disciplines. Study is made of actual cities and urban expansion plans which are in the process of implementation, as well as unrealized projects and visions of the future. These projects sometimes illustrate ways of thinking that are equal to, or clearer than, actual urban situations.
Content
In the first semester an introduction to the discipline and the methods are given along the thematic issues from the beginning of urban culture until the mid-19th century. 01. Introduction to the discipline and method: The history of urban design as a historical project 02. The birth of the European City out of the spirit of equality: Athens and the westgreek colonies 03. Myth, selfportrayal and speculation: Ancient Rome and the urbanization of its empire 04. From the urban ideal to the ideal city: Italian city-states in the late middle ages and foundations of Renaissance cities. 05. Baroque production: The new organisation of Rome under Sixtus V and the invention of Versailles under Louis XIV 06. Machines of war and experiments of reason: The city in the late 17th and early 18th century 07. After the Glorious Revolution: landscapegardens and urban figurations in England from 1700-1850 08. Embellishment between modernization and repression: Paris from 1750-1830 09. The construction of the bourgeois city: Georges-Eugène Haussmann transforms Paris into the capital of the 19th century 10. Architectural insertion and plan for the expansion of the city: From the Berlin of Karl Friedrich Schinkel to James Hobrecht 11. ‚It is my will....': The Viennese Ringstrasse between neoabsolute power and bourgeois self-confidence and its consequences
Resources
Lecture Notes
To each lecture an overview is listet within a script (two semesters of the bachelor studies), that can be purchased at the chair for the history of urban design (HIL D 75.2) at the price of sFr 30,-. The script serves as an auxiliary means to the attended lecture compiling the most important illustrations showed and the names and dates of the buildings and its builders along with a short introductory note.Aside this script the chair offers the ‚Quellentextbände' (sourcetexts) which help to extend the knowledge of theoretical discourses in the field of urban design. For the bachelor program the institute offers two volumes of texts at the price of sFr 15,- each. The scripts are in German, the ‚Quellentextbände’ are in original languages.
Literature
Further recommended literature to consult is listet within the script.
General Information
- Language
- German
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- session examination
- Mode
- written 60 minutes
- Aids
- Keine
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | Geschichte des Städtebaus I |
|
2 h weekly |