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051-0363-00L 1 Credits BSC , DS , MSC D-GESS , D-ARCH , D-BAUG

History of Urban Design I

Geschichte des Städtebaus I

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. em. Dr. Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:24:58

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. Athens: The birth of the European City out of the spirit of equality and Rome: Myth, selfportrayal and speculation 03. Greek and Roman City foundings 04. From the urban ideal to new cities in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance 05. Baroque production: The new organisation of Rome under Sixtus V and the invention of Versailles under Louis XIV 06. The city between Absolutism and Enlightment: The reconstruction of Lisbon and the European colonization of the American continent 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

The lectures are accompagnied by 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 CHF 35,-. 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 (two semesters) the institute offers three volumes of texts at the price of CHF 15,- each. The scripts are in German, the ‚Quellentextbände’ are in reprinted in their original languages.

Literature

Further recommended literature to consult is listet within the script.

General Information

Language
German
Levels
BSC , DS , MSC
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
  • Thu 09:45-11:30 (HIL E 4)
2 h weekly

Offered In