This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

 

Theory of City Form

An black and white panoramic photo collage.

An aerial view of the Piazza del Commune in Assisi, Italy. (Image courtesy of Prof. Julian Beinart.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

4.241J / 11.330J

As Taught In

Spring 2004

Level

Graduate

Course Features

Course Description

Theories about cities and the form that settlements should take will be discussed. Attempts will be made at a distinction between descriptive and normative theory, by examining examples of various theories of city form over time. The class will concentrate on the origins of the modern city and theories about its emerging form, including the transformation of the nineteenth-century city and its organization. It analyzes current issues of city form in relation to city making, social structure, and physical design. Case studies of several cities will be presented as examples of the theories discussed in the class.

Beinart, Julian. 4.241J Theory of City Form, Spring 2004. (MIT OpenCourseWare: Massachusetts Institute of Technology), https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/architecture/4-241j-theory-of-city-form-spring-2004 (Accessed). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA


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