BA (Hons) URBAN DESIGN

IN 2021 we begin a new programme, BA (Hons) Urban Design. Students on the programme will explore the speculative design of future cities and urbanisation, informed by site-focused research, within specific local, regional and global contexts. This new Urban Design programme will continue our exploration of ecological justice and urban equity begun on the Landscape Architecture programmes, from theoretical discourses to new forms of material constructions. The programme will bring together three distinct areas: Firstly, inventive design projects will be the focus of the programme, from future cities to historic urban precedent. Secondly, ecological justice and urban equity will be the priority for all projects, through collective, shared public spaces. Thirdly, the programme will address urban change across vast scales of space (planetary to material) and time (daily lives to generational struggles). The urban design programme will importantly consider cities and urbanization through the lens of landscape, considering challenges of temporality, change, growth and scale, and interacting with colleagues in landscape architecture to allow concerns for biodiversity loss, climate change and landscape citizenship to be addressed through the design of new urban environments. A unique aspect of the programme supports students to work on live projects through placements in London design practices and/or studio projects, working with clients and consultants. This opportunity will test the experimental projects developed in the university and build confident professional networks for the students. This new programme is developed from the success of the Future Cities Summer School and taught by an experienced team of staff experienced in the design of landscapes and cities.