SBP 427E - Comparative Studies of Urban Planning

Course Objectives

The aim of this course is to provide students a better understanding on the international urbanisation agenda through the exploration of regional perspectives worldwide. It is designed to increase students’ knowledge on various patterns of urbanisation, to give students an understanding of the evolution process of different urban systems in the world, and to present a comparative evaluation of development and urbanisation trends and threats in various world regions and cities by relating them with up-to-date political, economic, technological and socio-economic inferences.

Course Description

The course is based on a series of thematic sessions on the comparative studies of urban planning trends and threats. Each thematic session is designed under five key themes to critically analyse: Development and urbanisation trends, evolution of urban systems and patterns of urbanisation, internal structures of world’s major urban regions, distinctive characteristics of major cities and their urbanisation, urban challenges. Considerable emphasis is placed on the use of case studies to illustrate regional perspectives of planning approaches and development outcomes at different spatial scales including North America, Oceania, Europe, Former Soviet Union, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, South and East Asia. These regional perspectives are assessed to draw a broader understanding of urbanisation in responding to key urban challenges of development pressures, urban inequalities, socio-spatial segregation based on race, ethnicity and income, environmental degradation, management of change, and planning in the age of conflict and wars.