Rethink the City

This course is a part of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities, a 3-course Professional Certificate series from edX.

Learn about today's urban challenges focusing on developing countries, referred to as the Global South. We will debate the benefits associated with three different themes, going beyond traditional urban strategies and policies:

1. Spatial justice

Having fair, inclusive and healthy urban contexts is one of the greatest challenges of cities in emerging economies.

2. Housing Provision and Management

Increasing demand in the Global South calls for alternative approaches in housing provision and management.

3. Sustainable Urban Transitions

In order to transition from our current (unsustainable) system towards a fair and sustainable future we need to pay attention to the social, economic, and cultural context.

In the course, we will address questions such as:

Is the 'just city' framework applicable to cities with extreme socio-economic inequality?

Can community-led housing initiatives provide effective solutions for households in need?

How can the transition towards an environmentally sustainable future also be socially just?

In this architecture and urban planning course, academic urban planning expertise from TU Delft is used to formulate possible answers to these questions, and is applied in a range of challenging case studies from Latin America, MENA region, Sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia, , among others. This course offers you a new perspective to understand and analyse the urban challenges of the Global South.

Through a combination of short theoretical lessons, presentation of case studies, testimonies from practitioners and practical assignments you will also learn how to develop a critical perspective about your own urban environment and how to translate this knowledge into analytical tools and innovative urban solutions.

What you'll learn

• Alternative theories in spatial justice, housing provision and management, and urban resilience
• Application of analytical tools and innovative solutions to contemporary urban challenges
• Develop a critical perspective about your own urban environment
• New perspectives to understand and analyse the urban challenges of the Global South