The class is English spoken and can be taken as part of the Module "International Urban- and Regional Development" (organized by Prof. Rudolf Giffinger: www.srf.tuwien.ac.at ) or on its own. The class will be organized as a block seminar in March/April 2017 with 5 lectures and finalized in June 2017 with a short-term research project (practical part). The attendance of all the lectures and the finalization of the practical part is required.

Please note the registration procedure below! Students participating in the Module "Internationale Urbanisierung (Architektur: Modul 12)" do not have to register seperately.

Timetable

Thu March 16th,  9.30-12.00 / ZS8
Kick-off, Introduction
The Latin American City: the challenge of informal urban development

Thu March 23th, 9.30-12.30 / ZS8
Microurbanism and integrated neigborhood upgrading strategies
The Favela Bairro experience from Rio de Janeiro.
ntroduction to the research-work "The Urbanisation of the Air".

March, timing, location tbd.
Entwerfen "Emerging Bogotá-Medellín" (WS 2016-17)
Guest critics at the final presentation!

Thu March 30th, 9.30-12.30 / ZS8
"The Urbanization of the Air": mobility as an integral development concept.
Upgrading North-East Zone / Santo Domingo, Medellín
Research-work "The Urbanisation of the Air": Introduction to the concept note

Thu April 27th, 9.30-12.30 / ZS8
Affordable housing: Site-and-Service and incremental housing: Metrovivienda, Cd. Bolivar, Bogotá; Elemental Chile and others.
Feedback on concept notes oft he research-work "The Urbanisation of the Air"

Thu May 4th, 9.30-12.30 / SR8
"The urban activist": tools for infrastructure upgrading and tactical
Interventions: reports from Medellín, Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro

Thu May 11th, 9.30  / ZS8
Short-term research work - topic: "The Urbanisation of the Air: Urban Cable liners - a tool for sustainebleurban mobility?"

May, detailed timing tbd
Individual meetings: Research-work "The Urbanisation of the Air"

End of May / beg. of June, detailed timing tbd
Final presentation: Research-work "The Urbanisation of the Air"

Each lecture consists of:

• a presentation of one or several study cases (about 1 ¿ hrs)
• a following discussion / group work (about 1 hr)
• The further process of the practical part Research-work "The Urbanisation of the Air" will take place as of April / May 2017; the schedule is yet to be defined.

The informal city often stands as a synonym for a place with high population density. Social exclusionand segregation along with economic marginalisation are all too often existing conditions that frame thereal urban life of such an informal city. The term "informality", however, is by no means synonymous to chaos or delinquency, or simply something "illegal". Without dispute, the future of the city depends on the extent to which we are able to synchronise the existing potentials of both the informal and formal city; it will certainly depend on how fast we learn to plan the unplanned!
By now, there exist various urban regions worldwide, particularly in Latin America, which in their development trajectory have positively influenced the interface between the informal and the formal city. What all these strategies have in common is that especially existing, grown structures - be they formal or informal - have been integrated in further urban development efforts. These upgrading-projects intend to uplift disadvantaged informal urban districts and their deficits as opposed to the formal city.
The cities and examples disussed in class mainly attempt to find answers to all those areas where the city authorities still have an ultimate decision taking authority: the public space, the transport sector and education!
Within that context neigborhood upgrading, affordable urban housing and mobility infrastructures are key challenges for the contemporary Latin American City. Thereby the role of architects and planners is of central importance to provide urban housing facilities and a livable neigbourhood environment. It is their responsibility to go beyond the need for creative design and planning in order to create a favourable climate for dialogue and consult other disciplines from social and administrative areas. Mobility infrastructures and tactical interventions within the urban transformation of the Latin American City and their relevance for social inclusion are the main topics of this class.

15 students can register from Febraury 20th on via TISS (link below)! People remaining on the waiting list can appear at the first meeting and take the place of those students who are registered but not showing up.
Other disciplines are also welcome: multidisciplinarity is a goal of this class!

Students participating in the Module "Internationale Urbanisierung (Architektur: Modul 12)" don't have to register separatly!