Masters of Urban Design
Foundation Studio and Seminar (UD712/UD739)
The Urban Design Foundation Studio and Seminar is an intense workshop intended to introduce the necessary skills and base of knowledge to carry you through your studies in the MUD program.
Course Objectives
This semester should help you to:
- understand urban form and typology
- have an introductory understanding of how cities, regions, and urban spaces function economically and socially
- have an introductory understanding of the means by which urban design ideas are implemented
- understand that urban design must operate from a distinct theoretical basis
- give clear, coherent verbal presentations with supported arguments
- visually represent your design ideas
- organize and format your verbal and visual presentations into a written document for implementation
The semester will combine several activities:
- Research and analysis of urban precedents
- Research and analysis of Ann Arbor and its environs
- Site selection, program development, and design proposals for a new civic plaza and city hall in downtown Ann Arbor, as well as development of design guidelines and implementation strategies
- Reading and discussions on urban design topics intended to inform your design work and understanding of urban design
- Keeping of sketchbooks of studies of urban spaces to practice analytical and drawing skills
Course Format
The studio is arranged as a series of exercises leading to the final products. In the first part of the semester you will work on the assignments in a two-person team, followed by individual work on your final designs.
The studio will meet every afternoon 1:30-5:30. On 1-2 afternoons each week, per the attached schedule, we will pin up and review your assignments. Additionally, every Friday at 4:00, we will review your sketchbooks. We will use the remaining studio time for desk crits.
Additionally, we will meet in a seminar format on scheduled mornings, from 9:45 SHARP until 12:30. You will each be asked to lead, as well as respond to, discussions on the assigned readings.
Grading
Your studio grade will be determined according to the following criteria:
- Clarity and quality of your design proposals
- Class preparation and participation (including attendance) in pin ups
- Degree to which you have met the course objectives
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Overall progress and level of effort
Your seminar grade will be determined entirely by your class preparation and participation (including attendance and promptness) in seminar discussions. It will be imperative that you complete the reading assignments and prepare discussion questions for each seminar meeting.
Effort
Because so much must be covered in an abbreviated semester, you should expect the studio/seminar to be very demanding. In order to get as much as possible out of this experience, as well as to be adequately prepared for your subsequent courses, you should plan to spend almost all of your available time (60+ hours/week) on the required coursework for the next 7 weeks. Good time management is crucial and you will need to be highly organized in order to use this time in the most effective manner.
| July 10 | Communication and Representation |
| July 12 | An Introduction to Urban Design Theory |
| July 14 | The Regional Context |
| July 21 | The Development Process |
| July 24 | The Roles of the Public and Private Sectors |
| July 28 | Urban Typology and Building Types |
| July 31 | Public and Civic Space |
| August 7 | Sustainability in Urban Design |
With the exception of July 10, each seminar will have two discussion leaders. Each discussion leader will be assigned a broad discussion question or set of questions, to which s/he will prepare a response (roughly one page in length) and 3 subsequent discussion questions. The class will then be asked to respond to first, the leader’s response, then each of the leader’s questions.
You may ask to lead a particular topic (on a first-come, first-serve basis) or receive an assigned one at the luck of the draw.
In addition to studio and seminar meetings, we will also have the following tours:
| July 7 | Downtown Ann Arbor |
| July 17 | Dexter and Chelsea |
| July 20 | Downtown Ann Arbor |
| August 4 | Downtown Birmingham |
| TBD | Downtown Detroit |