After successful completion of the course, students are able to work on complex design tasks from the field of urban planning independently, systematically and with an original, contemporary design approach on the basis of a precise design language. They have the competence to recognise fields of action in an urban context and to develop appropriate urban planning solutions. Students are able to conduct their own research and to establish topic-related fundamentals. They are able to create design concepts and present them comprehensively in the form of strategy, draft and detail plans.

Video presentation: https://owncloud.tuwien.ac.at/index.php/s/NXXPPbW3pS2vCB9

The Balkan route was one of the most significant trade and military routes in Europe, it was of central importance for the Crusades and the Habsburg Monarchy. Today Migration routes between the Middle East and Europe via the Balkans are known as the Balkan route. The term was mainly used in connection with the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe.

According to the EU Commission, almost 700,000 people came from Greece to Central Europe on the Balkan route in the first ten months of 2015, resulting in transit states taking measures to curb the flow of refugees. After an EU summit in March 2016, Slovenia and other states announced measures that made the Balkan route even more impermeable than before. Austria's foreign minister at the time and current chancellor emphasized that this should remain that way in the long term (“Balkan route closed”). In 2019, around 80,000 people migrated via the Balkan route.

Migration on the eastern Balkan route (Bulgaria and Romania) began to slowly increase in the early 2000s. Restrictions introduced by the EU and Turkey led to a shift to the western Balkan route, via Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia ...

More recently, the Balkan route has again received a great deal of media attention through reports on the inhumane conditions in Greek and Bosnian refugee camps (Vučjak, Lipa, Velika Kladusa, Moria, Kara Tepe ...).

The studio “Balkan Route” deals with geographical, political and social dimensions of migration movements in the Balkans. In particular, it questions the humane accommodation for migrants, the logistics of refugee camps in general and integration of such with neighbouring settlements. “Temporary” living (often for many years) with the rejection of the local population in less affluent countries poses complex challenges to the location and design of refugee camps.

Starting in May, the design studio “Balkan Route” will deal with issues of migration in general as well as the complexity of refugee camps as independent cities on an infrastructural and societal level, by analytical and cartographic approach.

In a one-week summer workshop in the Balkans (if then possible), in cooperation with students and colleagues from various universities in the transit countries, temporary and permanent accommodation possibilities will be developed. On a strategical level, the studio will deal with the parallel existence of refugee camps and its surrounding settlements, but also with retrofitting of existing buildings, temporary constructions and textile construction on a local scale.

After a graphic post-editing phase, the projects will be presented at the end of September. A publication is planned.

Mentoring: Tuesday a.m.

Mamica Burda, Nela Kadic, Markus Tomaselli

March 9th, 10h: Intro

Zoom Meeting-ID: 967 0511 7181

May 4th: Lectures

May/June, Tuesday 9-13h: Mentoring

June 29th, 9-13h: Presentation of the cartographical atlas with guest critics

--- summer break ---

August 23th-29th: Summer school Balkans

September 28th, 9-13h: Final presentation with guest critics

Part 1, May, June 2021: Analytical and cartographic studies on migration, infrastructural and societal elements of refugee camps, as well as first strategical approaches on the regional scale. Work in groups of 2 or 3 students

Part 2, August 2021: Summerschool (if possible on the Balkans, alternatively online): strategical concepts and accomondation design in form of retrofitting, temporary and permanent settlements or textile construction. Workshop with international teams of students and mentors

Part 3, September 2021: Graphic post-editing phase