Cities divided by a border have a special exchange. The moving particles (people, goods, ideas, culture) leave a footprint on the other city. The course aims to research on how these movements are consolidating. In groups of 2 the students will define the moving particles between their fusion cities. In a further step they will analyse the positive space of the cities and how it got remodeled by the moving particles.
The analysis may be documented in written and graphical form (the knowledge of software like autoCAD, InDesign, Illustrator, etc. will be needed).

Some aspects:
- historical layers (growth, cultural impact, role over the centuries ...)
- today‘s survey (its context, its structure, its districts, its use and relations for people on the move …)
- causes: personal, directional, cultural
- consequences: impacts on the urban structure and architectural modifications caused by movement
- propositions: What kind of negative space can we design to guide moving particles?

1.Objectives:
Housing occupies most of the space in urban agglomerations and – in the countries of the South – also represents the largest development need. No urban planner can afford to ignore this fact, even if the views about the best approach to responding to the problem may vary considerably.
This seminar complements the PAR lecture series HOUSING POLICIES AND PRACTICES (delivered Tuesdays 11:40-13:10) during summer term 2009. It takes a critical look at the current urban housing situation and the policies, institutions and instruments employed to address it. It examines the economic conditions within which the ‘housing problem’ is produced and the urban policies developed around it, especially in cities of the South. It addresses the role of housing within urban development strategies (competitiveness, deregulation, privatisation), housing policy and markets, and the association of housing with other development goals such as poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. It also analyses the socio-spatial consequences of existing housing policy and the planning strategies available to deal with them.

2. Learning outcomes
- Encourage students to develop a critical understanding of the production of
  the current urban housing crisis (in both the formal and informal sectors,
  in wealthy and poor cities) within a framework of neoliberal urban
  development and growing social inequality.
- Provide students with the conceptual instruments necessary for analyzing
  urban housing strategies, policies and practices, within urban planning
  frameworks.
- Allow students to develop technical expertise for the evaluation of social
  housing policy and its urban consequences, and explore alternative
  strategies for meeting the current housing challenge.

3. Methodology
- Lectures, discussion, reading, oral and written presentations.
- Case study to be developed throughout the term, preferably in relation
to the country/city of origin of each student.

I.   Introductory session
     -  Aims and outline of course; global perspective and place-specificity; 
        housing and urban development in  the South; the persistent problem 
        of poverty and inequality; the return of the ‘slum’ in international housing 
        policy. 
II.   International housing policy and the global financial crisis
       -  Global economic trends, housing and the Millennium Development 
          Goals; multilateral institutions and national housing policy frameworks;  
          consequences of the global financial crisis for urban development; 
          '‘best  practices’ and the housing policy crossroads. 
III.   International urban development policy
       - Globalization and cities; competitiveness - sustainability - governance;
          the ‘place’ of housing. 
IV.   Theorising housing in urban development
       - Neoliberalism, the state and housing policy; the commodification 
         of housing and housing markets;  housing in urban development 
         strategies;  the ideological importance of ownership and ‘secure tenure’. 
V.     The financialization of housing and its limitations
        - The individualized citizen and the consumption of housing; financial 
          instruments;  exclusion and resistance. 
VI.    Governance and housing provision
        - The business model; stakeholders and partnerships; institutions 
          and delivery systems; civic and community organizations. 
VII.    Land use planning and housing: 
         - Land use planning strategies for social housing; legal, administrative
            and financial instruments; the dilemma of formal planning for the
            ‘illegal’ city. 
VIII..  Sustainable social housing for cities of the South?
        - Building technology, infrastructure, design and layout, improvement 
          strategies, risk management. 
IX.     Urban implications 1
         - Urban regeneration, gentrification and the city centre. 
X.      Urban implications 2
         - The informal sector and the urban periphery. 
XI.     Urban implications 3
         - New spatial forms (condominiums, gated communities), segregation, 
            fragmentation. 
XII.    Present crises and future challenges:
         - Debate: The state of things to come? 

The advanced MSc. course in Urban Planning has begun in 2007. All information about the career can be retrieved from the web page 'www.urban-studies.de'

Individual one-week thematic modules may be attended by a limited number of undergraduate students if space is available. For details see the PAR notive board. Time input for each course is one week full time plus weekend (50 Hrs), for wchich 2 ECTS are being awarded.

The same modules may also bee booked and acknowleged for the continious education credits requested by the German chamber of architects (further information through the secretariat, Tel. 06151 163637.