SYLLABUS
Course Description | Grading | Texts | Class Schedule | Lecture Notes

Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00-9:00 a.m., or by appointment
at Temple Buell Hall, Room M230
Class Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays – 9:00 -10:20 a.m.
  at Temple Buell Hall, Room 225

Course Description

This course is about the analysis of urban form, pattern, and process. It will be structured as both an historical as well as an international exploration of how cities are patterned and the urban processes that have had a role in creating these patterns.

Because this is an immensely complex field, we will follow our two texts closely: Spiro Kostof’s The City Shaped and The City Assembled. These books are exemplary, graduate level overviews of urban form and urban process. Students will be expected to read these texts over the course of the semester.

The course will make use of many visual images. Most of these will be taken directly from the two Kostof texts, although not all. Images not included in the text will be made available to students on the course website. Students will be expected to be able to identify certain issues discussed in class in relation to these images.

Grading
Your grade will consist of 4 exams and a class participation grade. The class participation grade will be based on a number of “pop quizzes” given at the start of class time. These quizzes will not be announced. Students entering late during one of the quizzes will not be allowed to make up the quiz unless they have a valid, written excuse signed by a doctor, lawyer, priest, rabbi, or other reputable person.

Class Participation - 20%

Exams - 80% (4 @ 20%)

Class Date

Topic/Reading Requirement
(CS = City Shaped; CA = City Assembled)

January 21

Introduction

January 23

CS: Introduction, pp. 9-41

January 28

CS: Organic Patterns, pp. 43-70

January 30

CS: Organic Patterns, cont., pp. 70-94

Feburary 4

Film: Dadetown

Feburary 6

No class

Feburary 11

CS: The Grid, pp. 95-124

Feburary 13

CS: The Grid, cont., pp. 124-157

Feburary 18

Feburary 20

CS: City as Diagram, pp. 159-189

Feburary 25

CS: City as Diagram, cont., pp. 189-207

Feburary 27

Film: The City, Lewis Mumford

March 4

CS: The Grand Manner, pp. 209-248

March 6

CS: The Grand Manner, cont., pp. 249-277

March 11

March 13

CS: The Urban Skyline, pp. 279-309

March 18

CS: The Urban Skyline, cont., pp. 309-335

March 20

Film: Levittown

March 25 and 27

Spring Break

April 1

CA: Introduction and The City Edge, pp. 7-39

April 3

CA: The City Edge, cont., pp. 39-69; 

April 8

April 10

CA: Urban Divisions, pp. 71-102

April 15

CA: Urban Division, cont., pp. 102-121

April 17

Film: Metropolis

April 22

CA: Public Places, pp. 123-143

April 24

CA: Public Places, cont., pp. 144-187

April 29

CA: The Street, pp. 189-218

May 1

CA: The Street, cont., pp. 218-243

May 6

Kostof, Spiro. 1991. The City Shaped. London: Thames and Hudson.
Introduction, The City Shaped
Chapter 1, The City Shaped, Organic Patterns
Chapter 2, The City Shaped, The Grid
Chapter 3, The City Shaped, City as Diagram
Chapter 4, Part 1, The City Shaped, The Grand Manner
Chapter 4, Part 2, The City Shaped, The Grand Manner
Chapter 5, The City Shaped, The Urban Skyline

Kostof, Sprio. 1992. The City Assembled. London: Thames and Hudson.
Chapter 1, The City Assembled, The City Edge
Chapter 2, The City Assembled, Urban Divisions
Chapter 3, The City Assembled, Public Places
Chapter 4, The City Assembled, The Street