Humanities Module Notes on Urban Studies

Introduction and Administrative Details

• Lecturer Introduction: Demetra, the module lead for humanities in BA II at Manchester School of Architecture (MSA). She oversees all humanities modules and is the primary contact for this component.

• Attendance and Registration: It is mandatory to register via the official system as registration sessions expire quickly. Failure to register correctly affects attendance records, which are monitored for progression.

• Office Hours: Available for consultation on Mondays from $11$ AM to $1$ PM in MTC $3.15$. Discussions regarding module content, assessments, or broader architectural humanities are encouraged.

Course Structure and Weighting

• The BA II Humanities module is split into two distinct but complementary components:

  1. Tracing the City: Focused on urban history, theory, and mapping processes.

  2. Sustainable Urban Futures: Led by Doctor Connolly, focusing on contemporary environmental and social sustainability.

• Assessment Weighting:

  • Sustainable Urban Futures: Includes a major essay worth $65\%$ and secondary assignments worth $35\%$

  • Overall Module Requirement: Students must achieve a passing grade in both components independently to pass the full module.

Shift in Humanities Focus

• Transition from History to Urban Studies: Moving beyond last year's focus on the histories of specific buildings, this course examines the urban fabric as a whole. It transitions from local architectural focus to broader urban systems.

• Critical Perspectives:

  • Production, Consumption, and Maintenance: Viewing the city not just as an end product (design), but as a living entity that is constantly being consumed by users and maintained by labor and infrastructure.

  • Ethical Considerations: Analyzing the socio-political implications of design decisions and their impact on different community demographics.

  • Dynamic Definitions: Challenging the idea of the city as a static object, instead viewing it as a site of constant flux and interaction.

Course Format and Methodology

• Analytical Approaches: The curriculum covers urban analysis methods developed over the last $150$-$200$ years, starting from the Industrial Revolution.

• Creative Humanities: The course emphasizes the link between theoretical humanities and creative practice. Instead of a standard essay for 'Tracing the City,' students produce a visual annotated portfolio.

• Mapping as Method: Introduction to alternative mapping—this goes beyond Euclidean geometry to include sensory, social, and political mapping.

Module Aims and Learning Outcomes

• Critical Analysis: To develop the ability to decode the city through social, political, and technological lenses.

• Interdisciplinary Connections: Establishing a strong link between theoretical urban frameworks and the practical studio projects students undertake, specifically understanding how macro urban forces influence micro site conditions.

Lecture Series Overview

• The course consists of eight key lectures:

  • Sessions 1-3: Foundational urban history and the evolution of urban theory.

  • Session 4 onwards: Specific thematic explorations including natural systems, the role of infrastructure (water, waste, transport), and the politics of urban design.

  • Guest Lectures: Focused on specialized topics such as the historical industrialization of Manchester and modern waste management systems in global urbanism.

Mapping Portfolio Requirements

• Scope: Students are not expected to map an entire city but rather a specific 'aspect' or 'slice' of urban life.

• Example Subjects:

  • Objects: The biography of a coffee cup or a paving stone.

  • Relations: Mapping race, class, or gender dynamics in a specific public square.

  • Processes: Tracking a waste stream or a delivery network through the city.

Theoretical Foundations of Urbanism

Urbanism is formally defined as the comprehensive study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with both the physical built environment and one another. This field of study emerged with significant prominence during the late $19^{th}$ century. It was primarily a reaction to the rapid, chaotic, and often unsanitary growth of industrial cities, seeking to bring order and improved living conditions to burgeoning urban populations.

Key Paradigms in Urban Planning

1. Garden City Movement (Ebenezer Howard)

   • The Three Magnets: Howard proposed a model that sought to combine the economic opportunities of the city with the health and environmental benefits of the countryside. This was conceptualized through self-sufficient, planned communities.

   • Implementation and Criticism: Examples include cities like Letchworth. However, the movement faced criticism for its perceived rigidity and its inherent inability to scale effectively to accommodate modern high-density growth requirements.

2. Modernist Planning (Functionalism)

   • Core Principles: Heavily influenced by Raymond Unwin and later perfected by Le Corbusier, this paradigm prioritized zoning, hygiene, and the strict separation of urban functions, specifically categorizing areas for living, working, recreation, and transport.

   • Le Corbusier and the Radiant City: He advocated for the 'Radiant City' model, which featured high-density residential towers set within expansive parklands. A primary real-world application of these principles was the planning of Brasilia. While the city achieved a high degree of aesthetic order, it has been scrutinized for causing unintended socio-economic segregation and the proliferation of peripheral informal settlements.

The Urban Renewal Debate

A pivotal moment in urban theory is the ideological conflict between Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs regarding the future of New York City in the mid-$20^{th}$ century.

• Robert Moses: The Top-Down Approach

  • Moses represented the technocratic, authority-driven method of urban planning. He prioritized large-scale infrastructure projects, such as massive highway systems designed to facilitate automobile travel. These projects frequently resulted in the destruction of established, organic neighborhoods to make way for 'modern' progress.

• Jane Jacobs: The Bottom-Up Approach

  • In her seminal work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs advocated for a person-centered, organic approach to urbanism. She emphasized the critical importance of 'eyes on the street'—the natural surveillance provided by active residents. She championed mixed-use neighborhoods and argued that the social capital found within local communities was far more valuable to the health of a city than grand, monumental architectural interventions.

• Definition: Urbanism is defined as the study of how inhabitants of urban areas (towns/cities) interact with the built environment and each other.

• Historical Context: Emerged strongly in the late $19^{th}$ century as a response to the chaotic growth of industrial cities.

• Key Paradigms:

  • Garden City Movement (Ebenezer Howard): Recommended 'The Three Magnets' approach—combining the benefits of town and country life in self-sufficient, planned communities like Letchworth. Critiqued for being too rigid and unable to accommodate high-density growth.

  • Modernist Planning (Functionalism): Influenced by Raymond Unwin and later Le Corbusier. Focused on zoning, hygiene, and the separation of functions (living, working, recreation, transport).

  • Le Corbusier: Advocated for the 'Radiant City' model—high-density towers in parklands. Examples include the planning of Brasilia, which, despite its aesthetic order, led to unintended socio-economic segregation and the rise of peripheral informal settlements.

The Urban Renewal Debate

• Robert Moses vs. Jane Jacobs:

  • Robert Moses: Represented the 'top-down' approach in New York, prioritizing large-scale infrastructure like highways that often destroyed established neighborhoods.

  • Jane Jacobs: Published 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities,' advocating for 'bottom-up' urbanism. She emphasized the importance of 'eyes on the street,' mixed-use neighborhoods, and the value of local community social capital over grand architectural gestures.