Postgraduate Course: Urban Design Lab (ARCH11293)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course -concurrently delivered at both level 10 (UG) and level 11 (PG)- introduces the principles of urban design and spatial planning theory, and the processes of formulating and designing strategic urban design projects that respond to specific urban contexts. By engaging in analysis of specific urban problematics, the course asks students to propose innovative solutions for the transformation of urban areas responding to social, economic, environmental and political issues. The course introduces analytical techniques such as GIS and space syntax. Students will work both in groups and individually, combining the varied skills brought by diverse disciplines and across different levels, to produce a cohesive urban design proposal from various perspectives. |
| Course description |
The course will cover both theoretical discussions, and design-based proposals. First, a lecture series and theoretical discussion of readings will pose contemporary pressing issues around urban transformation. Students will learn to critically engage with contemporary processes surrounding urban change pertaining to the political economy and socio-cultural organisation of urban places (such as gentrification, the right to the city, or coproduction of public space).
Second, the spatial analysis (using techniques such as GIS or space syntax) and critical review of planning regulations will help students identify and explore the factors driving urban transformation in selected places. Steering multidisciplinary groups (including both UG and PGT students from different disciplines), students will examine questions, challenges and opportunities around contemporary urban regeneration, and will critically engage with best practices around innovative forms of local governance. They will look at innovative urban transformation strategies in both European cities and cities from the Global South countries.
Finally, students will critically engage with the roles of urban planners and designers in improving urban areas. Guiding the work of multidisciplinary groups, they will propose specific innovative and original solutions for the transformation of selected places. The cases selected for study will include urban regeneration proposals in Edinburgh and other cities in Scotland.
The students will learn and engage through weekly lectures (1h/week), group discussion of readings (1h/week) and group studio tutorials (1h/week). They will work individually in completing a reading journal and in groups for both the analysis of urban places and the development of urban design proposals. The result of both analysis and design proposals will be documented through Urban Analysis and Urban Proposal booklets.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | This course requires additional costs to be met by the Student.
Materials: Students will be expected to fund the purchase of general art and design materials, such as sketchbooks, paper and pens. Students will be expected to fund purchase of some specialist materials required by their course. Materials costs will vary, depending on the media you choose to engage with and the materials you use to make your work at different points.
We encourage use of the Free Use Hub and sustainable material choices throughout.
Course Organisers will support you in meeting intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, but students will be expected to fund optional material costs as necessary for their own project work.
Printing: Students are expected to fund occasional printing. ECA has a dedicated reprographic facility and provides all students with an annual print budget of £50.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2025 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 8,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 11,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
163 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 3 assessment components:
1) Reading Journal: 300 words per individual journal entry (total 1800 words/6 entries), weighting 40%, submitted individually in week 5 (draft interim submission) and resubmitted in December exam diet, assessed against Learning Outcome 1.
2) Urban Analysis: set of 5 analytical maps, weighting 30%, submitted in groups of PG students in week 5, assessed against Learning Outcome 2.
3) Urban Design Proposal: reflective visual and written report, weighting 30%, submitted individually during December exam diet, assessed against Learning Outcome 3.
Further information:
1) Reading Journal: Individual written critical reflection and evaluation of key readings that will be presented and discussed in groups during weekly seminar sessions.
2) Urban Analysis: Group work, critical analysis and synthesis of an urban context following specific urban analysis techniques introduced throughout the course.
3) Urban Design Proposal: Individual critical reflection of group work, innovative urban planning and design solutions responding to some of the issues identified through the course.
Each assessment component is assessed against one of the 3 LOs of the course. The assessment criteria for the course are the demonstration of achieving the requirements set up by the three learning outcomes of the course. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback:
Verbal feedback will be delivered in groups on a weekly basis during weekly seminars by CO and tutors. This formative feedback relates to Assessment Component 1 (Reading Journal) and has the purpose of guiding students in improving their presentation and critical discussion skills. Following interim submission of draft Reading Journal, students will be provided with formative individual written feedback. It will discuss performance and next steps towards the completion of the course assessments.
Verbal feedback will be also delivered on a weekly basis during weekly studio sessions by CO and tutors. This formative feedback will relate to Assessment Component 2 (Urban Analysis) during weeks 1-5 and Assessment Component 3 (Urban Design Proposal) during weeks 6-11. Students will be expected to apply feedback for these earlier assessment components to later summative assessment components.
Summative Feedback:
Summative Feedback will be delivered in written by CO and tutors in groups for Assessment Component 2 (Urban Analysis) in week 7. The feedback for this earlier summative assessment component will guide students through the successful completion of later summative assessments. Later, summative feedback will be delivered individually for Assessment Component 1 (Reading Journal) and 3 (Urban Design Proposal) at the end of the semester.
Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically understand, discuss and evaluate - both verbally and in writing - specialised theories on urbanism and urban transformations
- Critically analyse and synthesise urban planning and design practices within specific contexts, and communicate findings using a significant range of specialised graphic and written techniques, taking responsibility for group work
- Propose innovative and original strategic urban planning and design solutions which respond to specific contextual issues, and present them using specialised visual and written techniques
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Reading List
Cuthbert, Alexander R. The Form of Cities: Political Economy and Urban Design. Malden, Mass; Blackwell, 2006.
Harvey, David. Social Justice and the City. Revised edition. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2009.
Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. London: Jonathan Cape, 1962.
Larice, Michael, and Macdonald, Elizabeth. The Urban Design Reader. Second edition. London: Routledge, 2013.
Lefebvre, Henri. Writings on Cities. Translated by Eleonore Kofman and Elizabeth Lebas. Oxford: Blackwell, 1996.
Madanipour, Ali. Design of Urban Space: An Inquiry into a Socio-Spatial Process. Chichester: J. Wiley, 1996.
Slater, Tom. Shaking up the City: Ignorance, Inequality, and the Urban Question. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2021. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Enquiry: Inspired by critical understanding of best practices in innovative urban planning and design, you will learn to evaluate urban problems and propose creative solutions, thus becoming an innovative and lifelong learner.
Intellectual autonomy: By critically analysing contemporary urban transformation processes and proposing innovative and original urban design solutions, you will develop an open-minded, reasoned and comprehensive perspective.
Communication: By critically evaluating theories and urban settings, representing information with accuracy in a visual form, and steering group discussion, you will become a compelling communicator. |
| Keywords | Urban design,critical urbanism,spatial planning |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Ana Miret Garcia
Tel: (0131 6)50 9451
Email: amiretg@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Louisa King
Tel: (01316) 502306
Email: Louisa.King@ed.ac.uk |
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