This course aims to help students to gain a rapid overview of the large span of urban design issues and to offer them a guide to urban design that is comprehensive, accessible and practical. The objectives of the course are, therefore:
· to introduce the origins, challenges, and purposes of urban design, and bring the more detailed discussions which urban design contains into the class;
· to introduce basic notions and dimensions of urban design, such as morphological, perceptual, social, visual and functional dimensions;
· to provide students with an introduction to the basic themes and topics that are fundamental to an understanding of the urban design process.