Syllabus: Building Inclusive Cities: Tackling Urban Inequality and Segregation
Index
- 1. Course overview
- 2. Learning objectives
- 3. What we expect from you
- 4. What you can expect from us/the course team
- 5. Course structure
- 6. Resources
- 7. Assessment & Certificate
- 8.
Licence
1. Course overview
Urban design, inequality and segregation are strongly connected.
Cities around the world, from the Global South to the Global North, are facing a rise in inequality and socio-economic segregation. The wealthy are increasingly concentrating in the most attractive urban areas and poverty is spreading to the suburbs. Rising levels of segregation have major consequences for the social sustainability of cities and leads to unequal life opportunities depending on where in the city you live.
In this course, you will learn what the main drivers and indicators of urban inequality and segregation are, using examples from cities from all over the world. You will learn how segregation is measured, how to interpret the results of the analyses of segregation and how to relate these insights to urban design. With this knowledge, you will be able to analyze how these issues may be affecting your local environment.
Additionally, we will present some historical examples of how urban design has played a role shaping spatial inequality and segregation in a selection of case study cities. This will help you to get a better understanding of how urban design can reduce spatial inequality and segregation.
The course is taught by the editors of the new SpringerOpen book Urban socio-economic segregation and income inequality. A global perspective and senior experts from the Urban Design section of TU Delft, which is ranked number 2 in the QS World University Rankings in the field of Architecture.
2. Learning objectives
After taking this course you will be able to:
- Identify the main drivers of urban inequality and socio-economic segregation and the links between them.
- Understand how segregation can be measured.
- Examine the consequences of urban inequality and segregation based on the case studies presented.
- Evaluate the urban inequality and segregation aspects of your own urban context.
- Develop urban design and policy solutions to suit your own urban context.
3. What we expect from you
As an online student, we expect you to be an active participant in this course by contributing to a positive atmosphere. We want you to question, share and help others by engaging in meaningful discussions.
Regarding deadlines, we expect you to keep on track in order to benefit from learning within a community. This course is meant to be a place where you learn with and from others. In this sense, we would like you to experience collaboration and peer-feedback, so please make sure you follow along with other participants in order to enrich the overall learning experience.
You are expected to follow forum and collaboration guidelines. Respect the course policies, academic integrity and most importantly your fellow students.
4. What you can expect from us / the course team
The course moderators will guide you throughout the course, launching the weekly content, promoting and engaging in discussions, and providing feedback regarding general performance after each week. Guidance and support will happen on a regular basis.
We will try to respond to all your questions and posts within 24 hours. If this is not possible for any reason, we will let you know.
5. Course structure
The course consists of six modules spread over seven weeks. A brief summary of each module is presented below.
Week 1 - Opening: Global Segregation
The course begins with a general introduction to the course, your instructors and some other more practical matters. This week also provides opportunities for you to introduce yourself to all the other participants. During this week you will learn about the key concepts of this course – inequality, segregation, the inclusive city and urban design, as well as how these concepts relate to each other. Global segregation trends will be explained and illustrated through case studies.
Week 2 - The Vicious Circle of Segregation
During this week you will find out that there are many ways to measure inequality and segregation and you will learn how to interpret the most commonly used indices. This week focuses on the connectedness of segregation in different domains of daily life: places of residence, work, schools and during leisure time. The concept of a vicious circle of segregation helps to understand these connections. You will learn how urban design interventions can help to reduce spatial inequality in cities.
In weeks 3-5 you will be introduced to the multiple relationships between the physical form of cities and the creation of an inclusive living environment on three different urban scales: regional, city and neighborhood.
Week 3 - The Region
On the regional scale we will introduce design principles and show how these may influence concrete proposals at the local level. Even though the term ‘regional design’ may seem overly ambitious or even impossible, examples are given that explain the scope of the term and its importance in policy making and design practice. With the help of practical examples you will become acquainted with long term effects of regional planning, the importance of developing and evaluating scenarios and other aspects of regional design processes.
Week 4 - The City
On the city scale we focus on the interdependencies of the physical form of cities and their inclusive qualities. Ensuring access to necessary public resources or services, such as education and affordable housing, is an essential part of inclusive city design. You will learn how to analyze and assess the physical form of the city and its qualities, employing methods of urban spatial analysis. The module will emphasize urban borders and connectivity between neighborhoods, the distribution of local urban centers, and the diversity of housing types.
Week 5 - The Neighbourhood
On the neighborhood scale we focus on creating inclusive public spaces and neighborhoods. The way the city is designed and experienced from a perspective at eye level is strongly related to design decisions on other scale levels and vice versa. You will learn how to analyze movement patterns within neighborhoods as well as interventions in the public domain.
Weeks 6 and 7 - Final Assignment and Wrap-up
In this module you will be invited to prepare a final assignment in order to successfully complete the course. We will also revisit the main themes of the course and answer your questions in a final round table with experts.
6. Resources
All educational resources will be available in the course. They consist of short videos, readings, quizzes, assignments and forum discussions to support you in the completion of the weekly learning activities.
We support the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
7. Assessment & Certificate
To pass the course, participants will need to score at least 65%. The table below shows the percentage allocated to each assignment.
|
|
Opening – Global segregation |
The Vicious Circle of Segregation |
The Region |
The City |
The Neighborhood |
Final Assignment |
| Available on |
7 April |
14 April |
21 April |
28 April |
5 May |
12 May |
|
Assignment (%) |
Rich & poor neighborhoods (12%) |
Mental map of inequality (12%) |
Urban peripheries & network analysis (12%) |
City analysis and design (12%) |
Shared public spaces (12%) |
Final Assignment (40%) |
While all learners will have the opportunity to do each of the assignments, only verified participants have access to self-review their work and receive a score.
Upgrade to a Verified Certificate gives you:
- a certificate if you successfully completed the course;
- access to graded assignments;
- access to the archived course after the end date.
These certificates will indicate you have successfully completed the course, but will not include a specific grade. Certificates will be issued by edX under the name of DelftX, designating the institution from which the course originated.
Do you need financial assistance? EdX offers up to a 90% discount on our verified certificates to learners who cannot afford to pay full price. Check the edX support page for financial assistance.
Generating an ID verified certificate
Verified certificates will be issued a few days after the end of the course, to verified participants who successfully completed the course. Certificates can be downloaded from your Student Dashboard (look for the Download button next to the name of our course). An ID verified Certificate of Achievement is available for $99. You can Upgrade on your edX Dashboard to Verified during the course. Once produced, a certificate cannot be reissued, hence it is very important that you verify the way in which your name appears. Check that, in your edx.org account, your name is correctly spelled, since it will appear on the final certificate.
8. License
The course materials of this course are
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