Inner-urban landscapes of Athens

Cities may be understood as places where different, yet interdependent interests, uses, goals and possibilities intersect. Cities are changing along the needs, desires and ideas of the people who inhabit them. Some changes become materialised and take the form of physical structures, while other changes remain on the level of relations. Both, the material and the relational, shape the ways we perceive and use urban spaces.

The goal of this seminar is to explore, analyse, and theorise a spatial phenomenon – or urban quality – which could be termed “inner-urban landscape”. Inner urban landscapes are, according to the proposed preliminary definition, made of in- and outdoor spaces which facilitate a broad mix of every-day routines and activities, and in this sense provide one of the main ingredients of what we commonly call “urban life”. The suffix "scape" indicates that the definition is based on diversity and multiplicity. 

The analysis will ultimately lead to the question whether inner urban landscapes could play a role as catalysts in the design of urban transformation, in particular for processes that seek to follow the principles of sustainable urban development.

The seminar is the first event in a series of lectures, seminars and design studios that will be offered in close collaboration with the Technical University in Athens, the Gennadius Library and the Schwarz Foundation. The key findings and moments of the research project will be exhibited in Athens in 2022.

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The seminar covers 3 ECTS. For another 3 ECTS, students shall choose the subject ‘Spezialfragen Sustainable Urbanism’  in order to deepen in the research of the subject of inner-urban landscape, providing extra material as it will be agreed with the tutors.

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Due to the CoVid-19 pandemic, a teaching concept is being developed, which allows for a completely digital work as well as working and discussing in partial physical presence. 

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The work might be individual or in groups of two students. Maximum number of students: 20

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Schedule:

Regular Seminar meetings Mondays, 15:00 – 16:30

16.11.2020 – Kick-Off 

07.12.2020 – Pin-Up 1

21.12.2020 – Pin-Up 2

25. - 29.01.2021 – ‚Intensive Week‘ with guest professor Panayotis Tournikiotis, Dean of the Architecture School of the National Technical University of Athens. (Details for the schedule to follow through the semester and upon agreement with the students)

22.02.2021 – Final Presentation

Teilnehmerzahl: max. 20 Studierende

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Das Seminar ist explizit auch für reguläre Studierende der TUM geöffnet. Insbesondere für fortgeschrittene Bachelor-Studierende und Master-Studierende der Architektur eignet sich die Aufgabenstellung. Darüber hinaus kann dieses Seminar als Vorlauf für das kommende Sommersemester Entwurfsstudio (MA) betrachtet werden. Je nach Zusammensetzung der Arbeitsgruppen wird die Unterrichtssprache Englisch und/oder Deutsch sein. Abgaben und Präsentationen nur auf Englisch.

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Contact: Tasos Roidis - tasos.roidis@tum.de or Norbert Kling - n.kling@tum.de