Metropolitan Regions in Times of Environmental and Economic Transitions

The main aim of the course is to examine how metropolitan regions respond to, and navigate the impact of, the imperatives of sustainable and integrated development. The course is embedded in the field of spatial and environmental planning and design in TU Delft and builds upon urban and regional planning theories that are aligned with the UN sustainable development goals. These seek to effectively address environmental and social challenges facing cities and regions.

One of the courses primary goals is to advance a critical understanding of metropolitan processes within (post-)globalization, as well as their effects. It seeks to articulate these through both theory and design to move towards new urban and regional development paths that are better able to respond to the ever-increasing challenges faced by cities and city-regions. The course programme involves learning about current and upcoming challenges of sustainable development through a process of research and design. It focuses on urban and regional development models globally and develops an integrated approach, providing key skills that students can use as planners, designers, and landscape architects in different geographical contexts. It also enables them to work on different levels of spatial and temporal scales.

The students are trained in research methods relating to spatial planning, urban studies, environmental and urban design, with an emphasis on the diversity of planning cultures and the need to incorporate socio-environmental concerns into urban development. The course has a transdisciplinary ethos, and uses a series of different developing regions as case studies. Students have the chance to meet stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including academics and governments, who act as teachers and trainers.

The course is also part of the International Forum on Urbanism (IfoU) and works in partnership with other universities from that network to deliver work that builds on theoretical knowledge in order to advance strategies for spatial and environmental planning. The results are location-sensitive strategies that outline real opportunities for moving towards more a sustainable future for the regions selected for study. Such regions include Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Greater Bay Area in China (including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Macao) and the Greater Paris region. Previous students work has been published and presented at several biennales (including Venice 2014, Buenos Aires 2016, and Shenzhen Hong Kong 2019).