The first part course introduces the dynamics of suburban development, highlighting different geographical patterns and focusing on its historical evolution. The second part illustrates the main design approaches for suburban planning, with particular reference to the creation of integrated green systems and ecological corridors and to the provision of social facilities.
1. Ingersoll R., Sprawltown: Looking for the City on Its Edges, Princeton Architectural Press, 2006.
2. Sieverts T., Cities without Cities: An Interpretation of the Zwischenstadt,
3. Bruegmann R., Sprawl: a Compact History, Chicago UP, 2008.
4. Giovannoni G., Tuscany beyond Tuscany: Rethinking the City from the Periphery, Firenze, Didapress, 2017.
5. Waldheim C., The Landscape Urbanism Reader, Princeton Architectural Press, 2006.
6. Tachieva G., Sprawl Repair Manual, Island Press, 2010.
Further readings will be provided during the course.
Learning Objectives
Knowledge: The course aims to providing students with basic knowledge about suburban development and periphery in different areas of the world.
Skills: The course aims to prepare students for critical understanding of the periphery and of suburban areas.
Capacity: The course introduces students to the definition of appropriate planning policies for peripheries.
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge about main trends of modern western thinking in social sciences is expected. Students are expected to be acquainted with the main theoretical and methodological approaches in Geography.
Teaching Methods
The first part of the course is based on frontal teaching, supported by audio-visual material, and introduces the main theoretical and methodological aspects of the discipline. It will also provide a critical review on the often heated debate on sprawl and on suburban development. The second part focuses on urban planning policies for the suburbs. Writing a paper on a topic to be agreed with the teacher is also required.
Further information
Attending classes is mandatory. Individual programs are permitted only in special cases.
Type of Assessment
Learning improvement will be verified through a) written exam on subjects handled during the lectures
Course program
The first part of the course is dedicated to the deepening of the main terms used in relation to the study of suburban development in the US and in Italy (sprawl, suburban areas, peripheries, urban fragmentation, urbanized countryside, diffused city, etc.); the second part introduces the main analysis techniques; the third part analyses the main suburban policies.
For the preparation of the written test, in addition to the regular frequency, the following texts must be read:
1. Ingersoll R., Sprawltown: Looking for the City on Its Edges, Princeton Architectural Press, 2006.
2. Sieverts T., Cities without Cities: An Interpretation of the Zwischenstadt,
3. Bruegmann R., Sprawl: a Compact History, Chicago UP, 2008.
4. Giovannoni G., Tuscany beyond Tuscany: Rethinking the City from the Periphery, Firenze, Didapress, 2017.
5. Waldheim C., The Landscape Urbanism Reader, Princeton Architectural Press, 2006.
6. Tachieva G., Sprawl Repair Manual, Island Press, 2010.