Rethink the City: New approaches to Global and Local Urban Challenges

The course is structured as follows:
Week 1: Welcome and Opening
This week is devoted to introducing the course and getting to know each other. This week also contains the first assignment of the course which aims to introduce yourself and the urban challenge in your own context.

Week 2 to 4: Parallel Modules
During these you can choose in which order to take the modules, but there is a fixed sequence of activities inside each module, consisting of lecture videos, quizzes and assignments. In order to keep an appropriate workload, the course team suggests to take one module per week.
Module - Spatial Justice
This module will analyse concrete cases of spatial justice and injustice in emerging economies and discuss how contemporary theories apply in the booming metropolises of the Global South.
Module - Housing Provision and Management
This module will discuss the role of the State, the society and the private sector in housing policies, exploring opportunities for hybrid and alternative housing provision models in different contexts.
Module – Sustainable Urban Transitions
This module will introduce the topic of sustainable urban transitions and will discuss the complexity of these multi-level processes by highlighting the potential of innovation on the small scale and the challenges of institutionalising these innovations.

Week 5 and 6: Final Assignment and Peer Review
The final assignment is meant for you to develop a critical stance towards the urban challenges in your own context, using the theories and tools presented during the course. You will have one full week to prepare your final assignment.

Hot Topics: in these weeks you will also have access to additional videos that discuss hot topics in both the Global South and the urban development discourse. This will complement the content of the modules. These videos are completely optional and they won’t have quizzes or any required practical assignment.