Evolution of the Edinburgh Townscape (U00844)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : ACE-3-AHEdinbur

This course focuses on the development of Edinburgh from the Union of Parliaments to the proposed reconstruction of the city after the Second World War, with a particular emphasis on the period 1767-1950. The influence of eighteenth century Neo-classicism, the Picturesque Movement and the historical revivals of the nineteenth century on both the layout of the city and the characteristics of its principal buildings are explored. The concern here is not only with the stylistic development of the city's architecture, but also the theoretical and philosophical concerns that lay behind these and, in particular, the effect of both the Enlightenment and the Romantic Movement. By contrast, the effects of public concern and legislation in connection with housing, education and public health, as well as and the history of the development of building regulations are considered where appropriate. In addition to this examination of the broader townscape issues, the course also deals with specific building types, including the major public buildings and lays a special emphasis on housing.

The purpose of the course is to encourage an understanding of the issues outlined above and the way in which their interaction has helped to form the city. In addition, the course is also concerned with changing ideas of the city as expressed at various points in Edinburgh's history and in various texts. To this end, it explores a variety of texts and images of the city, including the 1752 Proposals; Robert Adam's ambitious neoclassical proposals for the city; the notion of Edinburgh as "The Athens of the North"; John Ruskin's Edinburgh Lectures of 1853 and the Abercrombie Report of 1949.

? Keywords : Edinburgh, urban design, townscape, Scottish towns, Enlightenment, New Town, Old Town, Patrick Geddes, John Ruskin, Georgian, Victorian, Gothic, Athens of the North, Public Housing, Abercrombie

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : AH2A & 2B; or Honours entry to History of Art or its combined degrees; or Honours entry to BMus (Music) or by agreement of the Head of Subject Area

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Architecture - History, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) 40 minutes per week for 11 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	09:00	10:50	Central
Lecture	Thursday	09:00	10:50	Central

? Additional Class Information : The Thursday session will take the form of student seminars.
There will be occasional visits to buildings/locations in the city

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The students will have: A thorough knowledge of the major stylistic trends in Edinburgh architecture.
A thorough knowledge of the main trends in urban planning in Edinburgh and the wider British and European context to of which they form part
An understanding of the relationship between architecture and its urban setting
An understanding of the wider social, historical, theoretical and cultural contexts in which cities in general and Edinburgh in particular developed
An ability to synthesise arguments from a wide variety of source material, written and visual, primary and secondary

The honours course requires that students read and research in a more self-directed way than in earlier years. They are called upon to organise more diffuse and challenging material, constructing more sophisticated architectural-historical argument, informed by analysis of primary sources and corrected by critical awareness with regard to secondary texts.