11185 Contemporary Issues in Landscape Architecture
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2020 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 11172 Landscape History and Theory 1 AND 11174 Landscape History and Theory 2
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject introduces:
- the realities of cities, their regional context and urban development, both across time and in different geographical locations and cultural settings, and
- ideas about cities, especially within the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design.
In keeping with this cross-disciplinary approach, the subject also explores the interdependency of cities, regions and territories, and the biophysical, infrastructural and logistical systems that bind them. It also introduces key issues facing cities and regions into the future.
The subject emphasises the particular disciplinary perspectives and traditions that both architecture and landscape architecture bring to the understanding of cities, particularly the culture of urbanism that these two disciplines have evolved through built and unbuilt projects, writings, visual representations, exhibitions and other forms of research, analysis, speculation and debate.
The subject builds on knowledge gained from previous history and theory subjects, and extends it with an understanding of the range of forces and processes that shape cities and their urbanisms. It also examines theories of cities and urbanism, especially those directed at urban transformation from within architecture and landscape architecture.
Particular cities are examined in relation to specific themes, including:
- industrialisation and modernisation
- colonialism
- production, consumption, labour and economic forces
- governance, political processes and urban development
- demographic change
- theories of urban experience
- public space
- infrastructure
- spaces of public and private life
- landscape urbanism
- post- and ex-urbanism
- suburbia
- informal settlements
- urban ecology
- the city as a site of research and speculation for architecture and landscape architecture.
The subject enables students to contextualise aspects of their architectural studio work within different arguments and debates about what a city is and how architecture contributes to cities and the challenges they face. The subject also considers the ways in which various tools of representation are used to document the city and urban landscapes, as well as to shape new visions for urban environments.
The objectives of the subject include providing students with the skills to research, discuss, debate and design cities and urban environments, drawing on the specific strengths of their architectural or landscape architectural background.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Gain an understanding of the range of forces and processes that have shaped a range of cities, and the development of different forms of urbanism |
|---|---|
| 2. | Gain an insight into the contributions of key architectural, landscape architectural and other thinkers on the city, and of influential design projects, both built and unbuilt |
| 3. | Be able to think across different examples in developing a comparative understanding of cities and forms of urbanism |
| 4. | Carry out research, analysis and communication that meets the subject’s objectives |
| 5. | Ability to work individually, and as part of a team, to produce high quality architectural research, analysis and communication |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject also contributes to the faculty's five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (see 'Graduate Attribute Development' below) through the following course intended learning outcomes:
- Work autonomously and as part of a team to produce high quality landscape architectural projects, policies, designs and publications (C.1)
- Distil and fluently communicate landscape architectural theory and practice through appropriate and engaging visual, written and verbal means (C.2)
- Demonstrate the highest professional and ethical approaches to landscape stewardship and broadly understand issues of sustainability and apply suitable societal, environmental, and professional values and solutions (A.2)
- Pursue a practice of landscape architecture that is responsive to the social dimensions and requirements of public life and space (A.4)
- Coherently situate practice and aspirations within a continuum of landscape architectural history, theory and precedent, recognising the contributions of contemporary landscape architectural issues, perspectives and methods in moulding the breadth and diversity of the discipline (R.1)
- Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and use scholarly methods to create high quality landscape architectural outputs that identify and anticipate future areas of research (R.2)
- Understand and adapt landscape architecture’s design methodologies through bold, inventive and exploratory projects that address contemporary environmental, ecological and societal challenges (I.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
Weekly on campus: 2 hr lecture and workshop activities, 1 hr tutorial
The subject will be delivered through a combination of illustrated lectures, workshop activities and tutorials. The learning is designed to be practice-oriented and research-inspired, and directed towards operating in a globalised environment. In general, the subject is based around pre-lecture preparatory reading and other preparatory activities, lectures, workshop activities, and discussion and research and collaborative work and feedback for the development of Assignments in tutorials .
The tutorials are offered to assist with integrating the materials covered in the pre-lecture preparations, lectures and workshops, and to facilitate discussion, feedback (from both peers and the tutor) and guided research and production for each of the assignments. Student participation and understanding in tutorials and lectures will rely on a degree of individual reading and research. The contact hours will usually comprise two formal illustrated lectures each of one hour’s duration, followed by a one-hour tutorial or seminar class, each week. This pattern may be varied to accommodate site visits, workshops, guest lectures, group work, or other topical events as they occur.
Online Coursework
Alongside lectures and tutorials a significant aspect of the learning strategy involves online engagement. Students will find additional online media content, readings and discussions hosted on UTSOnline.
There are a number of strands to your learning in this course:
- required readings and reading analysis
- workshop preparation
- active engagement in lectures and workshop exercises
- tutorial attendance and participation
- assessment item research, documentation and communication
- peer- and group-learning and feedback
Feedback
The subject provides several opportunities for feedback:
- All assignments are graded in ReView where tutors will give formal feedback and indicative grades. This site also allows students to self-mark.
- Verbal feedback is provided by tutors and peer-peer in the tutorial sessions. Peer-peer review is also embedded in the structure of the assignments.
- The UTSOnline forum will allow students to engage with the work of their peers can can be seen as a further opportunity to engage in informal feedback.
Content (topics)
Key themes that will be discussed in relation to particular examples of cities and forms of urbanism may include: industrialization and urbanization; colonization; production, consumption, labour and economic forces; governance; demographic mapping and change; political processes and urban development; theories of urban experience; institutions of public and private life; post- and ex-urbanism; the suburbs; the city as the site of research and speculation for architecture. Themes may be subject to development and change depending on teaching expertise and the research projects of teaching staff.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Urban Representation and Analysis: A How-To Manual
| Intent: | One of the principal ways that architects and landscape architects have contributed to knowledge about and propositions for cities is through representations – especially drawings, plans, diagrams, models, etc, but also polemical writings about the city (many of which are required readings for this course). This assessment task requires you to investigate in depth one such representational mode, explain how to deploy it, and critically evaluate its possibilities. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 2, 3 and 5 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.2, C.1, C.2 and R.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 35% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Counterpoint Cities: A Comparative Analysis of Urban Issues
| Intent: | As an architect or landscape architect, it is essential to develop a range of understanding of different urban issues and different urban contexts. The assessment task requires you to research, critically analyse and communicate a position about a specific urban issue in Sydney in comparison with another city (your ‘counterpoint city’). The most powerful tools in your arsenal as an architect or landscape architect are verbal persuasion coupled with visual persuasion; this task is designed to enable you to practise this skill focussed narrowly on a specific urban issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3 and 4 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.4, C.2, I.1, R.1 and R.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Case study | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 65% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Students are expected to attend 80% of classes. A roll will be taken during both the lecture and the tutorial series on account of this. Should students fail to attend 80% of the class, it is within the University's right to refuse to mark the student in question's work, as is outlined in the Student Handbook.