Cities by Design

Cities by Design

This module examines relationships between built form and practices of urban design, through situating it in its political, cultural, economic and social contexts. By introducing key concepts, sites and practices in spatial analysis and city-making, we investigate the production of urban space and how the design of our complex urban environments affects the different people who live in them. We engage in the spatial shaping of intersectional social identities - including gender, race, and class - and position modernisation, capitalisation and colonisation as ongoing spatial processes to understand the material, symbolic and experienced conditions of power. My contributions to this module included topics such as the role of aesthetics of/in the city, and processes of commodification and financialisation in the 'speculative city'.

Date

2010-2016

Language

English

Author

Günter Gassner

Keywords

Spatial imaginaries

Spatial practices

Aesthetics

Heritage

Commodification

© 2026 Günter Gassner
© 2026 Günter Gassner