Short Course Urban Design

Introduction

From the air you can see a clear shape of the city. This shape does not come easily. City planners first investigate what a city or region really needs, here and now and in the future. They prepare plans about what is needed and where. Here industrial premises are needed, at another spot a recreation lake and in another place a residential area. The planner also decides which functions a particular place should serve. This will entail how many houses, shops, parking areas and which part should be left green. Aside of the urban planning, the planner encounters also spontaneous developments, the informal urbanism.

When all specific requirements are known, then a planner should think about the form. This is the great challenge for any urban designer! What will the city look like? What is possible at that particular spot? How well can you merge these various functions? And how will a possible design fit in the realm of local culture?

The urban designer invents, draws and presents creative concepts and sketches. In these plans he/she indicates how a particular area may function as well as possible in a most communicative way.

Urban Design deals with designing the inner and outer cities or towns. It’s not building them. There we need professionals like builders, architects and civil engineers. As a designer you are more of a creative person than a technical expert. More important is that you have a feeling for designing, society and culture and less for mathematics. You need to be creative and interested in architecture and spatial planning. You should have the ability to share knowledge, skills and opinions, bring these up for discussion and take responsibility for the content of your contribution.

The final year at Saxion school of Urban Design is always an international year. That means that Dutch students are mixed up with international students. They work together and share their cultures.

Saxion school of Urban Design offers study in urban design as a minor/short course (1^st or 2^nd  semester) or as the final year (whole year).

Course content

The minor/short course urban design at the Saxion school of Urban Design takes 5 months of studying in the Netherlands.

In the minor/short course at Saxion school of Urban Design you develop your skills of

• Urban Design
• Concept
• Communication

For deepening your knowledge you choose a combination of 2 from:

• Urban Planning
• Urban Research
• Creative Process
• Analysis

Programme Minor Urban Design

Theme: Scale and Approach in European Urban Networks

1st Minor (1^st semester, starting september, 30 ECTS-credits)

• International Urban Design project
  • Theme: Scale in the European Urban Network
  • Thematically focussed on conceptual design at the large scale en spatial design on the small scale
  • Coaching by professional tutors
• Introduction course
  • an introduction to the disciplines of Environmental Studies, Spatial Planning and Urban Design
• Professional skills training
  • Research Methodology
  • Communication Skills, which comprises two main aspects: communication skills, intercultural relationships and group processes; and proficiency in English: training in oral presentation and writing skills.
• Capita Selecta / Specialisation programmes
  • In this unit the most important subjects and new developments in the professional field of Civil Engineering (CE), Environmental Science (ES), Environmental Technology (ET), Urban and Regional Planning (URP) and Urban Design (UD) is brought to the attention. These courses are taught separately, but students are welcome to the lecturers of other specialisations.
• 1 x International Designweek Holland
  • Concentrated variety of lectures, workshops and fun at the Saxion school of Urban Design.
• Optional: 1 x International Designweek Europe
  • Concentrated variety of lectures, workshops and fun at a location in Europe

Or:

2^nd Minor (2^nd semester, starting february, 30 ECTS-credits)

• International Urban Design project
  • Theme: Approach in the European Urban Network
  • Thematically focussed on the urban design methods of social/spatial interaction and social/spatial intervention in a European casestudy.
  • Coaching by professional tutors
• 1 x International Designweek Holland
  • Concentrated variety of lectures, workshops and fun at the Saxion school of Urban Design.
• Optional: 1 x International Designweek Europe
  • Concentrated variety of lectures, workshops and fun at a location in Europe.

Specific requirements

First of all you have to meet the general entry requirements. Besides that, the following applies to all students wanting to enrol in Urban Design.

If you want to be considered for Urban Design, either one of the following categories will apply:

• For students from our European Erasmus partners:
  • You have successfully completed 3 years of education in Urban Design (or a related course, like Architecture)
• For all other students: 
  • Entrance will be based upon previously obtained knowlegde, and skills and motivation for the course.
  • Consequently you need to submit a CV, testimonials, a letter of motivation and an interactive portfolio (website, CD rom or DVD) and to take part in an assessment (by telephone or by means of webcam) to establish your communicative skills.

Career prospects

The study Urban Design trains you to be a practically prepared junior urban designer at an bachelor level. Many urban design offices have a dire need for this kind of creative, practically trained designers. You can have a position as (assistant) urban designer at design firm, governments, and in the advisory field.