02.501 Urban Theory I: Dynamics of Urban Systems and Social Change

Humans have the innate desire to live well, live better. The extreme manifestations of this desire can be readily observed in cities — ostensibly spaces of opportunities and possibilities — where obscene material excesses surround those who have fulfilled this desire, while abject poverty confronts those who are furthest from realising it. Put differently, the dynamic, unceasing nature of urban change has the one constant of reproducing and reconfiguring inequities. This course sits at the intersection of this problematic, recast simply as the compelling normative question that drives the course: Can cities enable everyone to thrive?

In responding to this question, we examine the city through the relational, ethical, institutional, and everyday processes that make urban living possible. The mode of inquiry is more situated and intuitive than abstract and prescriptive. Selected traditions in urban theory are introduced through applied concepts of trust, responsibility, opportunities, vulnerability, and completion gaps. These are analysed across different scales: from the individual, to household, to community, institution, and beyond.
Threading the entire course are emergent concerns, especially AI governance, and perennial ones, especially participatory governance, as well as the role of academia as an enabler of better city governance and development.

Instructor: Dr Harvey Neo
Time: Wednesday (2-5PM)
Venue: Think Tank 11-12 (1.503)