Elements of Urban Design

The studio is structured as introduction to urban design representation and how it is used as a means of design thinking. The premise is that urban design is best understood and expressed through study and representation of the built urban environment. Hence the studio focuses on the study and representation of the key urban elements in cities and are structured in multiple modules running through the semester, each culminating with an exhibition of the outcome. These modules significantly focus on effectively capturing and communicating the spatial qualities of the urban built environment. Module 1  involves perceiving and representation of the key elements of urban design. The premise is that building types, urban blocks, streets and public open spaces form the key elements that come together to make any functional urban space. The exercises in this module will enabled students with methods to study each element and how they contribute to the scale, form, character and their relationship with the larger urban context. Module 2 is the final exercise which  involves design of public places. It aimed at understanding an urban problem in the city and delivering a narrative that effectively conveys the concerns , opportunities , significance and potential of that particular urban environment to be transformed into a public place for the stakeholders identified. It is focused on analysing the urban area and prepare a design for a given urban area in the form of a framework plan, design analysis and 3-dimentional illustration to represent the design.