This is a survey course aimed at providing a holistic global understanding of cities.
The course will begin where cities began: Western Europe. We will then turn our attention to the North American context and firmly establish that bad decisions have been made poorly and conclude that we need to look toward cities elsewhere on this planet for good examples. Contemporary examples of Western Europe will grace the projector in the third week of class, maintaining our sense of true north. Our focus will take fleeting yet obligatory stops in Tokyo, Lago, China, and India. These examples will subconsciously prime the belief that North America could have done much worse and build sympathy for bucolic low-density philosophies. We will feel decidely good about looking at exotic urbanisms and people. After Fall Break, we will land in Eastern Europe too bag on brutalism, communism, and concrete at large. Shortly before Thanksgiving, we will come back home to Western Europe to celebrate the gay old days of urbanism and urban grandeur. The final project will be an exercise in virtue signaling. Students are free to choose whatever methods or representational styles they like, as long as the project's perspective is compatible with the Euro-American perspective.