URBN 0074. Nineteenth-Century Architecture.

Surveys stylistic developments, new building types, and the changing conditions of architectural production through the 19th century. Special emphasis placed on the social context in which buildings were designed and used. Weekly one-hour conference required.

URBN 0210. The City: An Introduction to Urban Studies.

With over half the world’s population now living in cities, understanding the past and present of urbanization is critical to the planet’s collective future. This course introduces students to cities and urban life around the globe. Drawing upon multiple disciplines, it explores questions like: How do histories of urban planning shape present patterns of inequality? How does rampant urban growth impact ecology and health? How do new identities and solidarities arise in cities, and what effects does citizen activism have on urban politics? What urgent challenges face cities today, and how might these be creatively overcome by communities, planners, and governments?

URBN 0215. Urban Life in the Global South.

Cities in the so-called “Global South” – from Jakarta to Johannesburg, Lima to Lahore, Dakar to Delhi – are vibrant, complex, and key to the future of our rapidly urbanizing world. While undoubtedly places of challenge and conflict, these cities are also hotbeds of creativity and activism, where alternative ways of building, governing, and sustaining urban communities take shape. This course first traces the historical forces of colonialism, nationalism, and globalization that have shaped cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, before delving into a range of social, political, and environmental issues that local city-dwellers and their leaders grapple with today.

URBN 0217. Metropolis: The Architecture and Urban Design of Global Cities.

This class serves as an introduction to global questions of urban architecture and planning, their history, present challenges and future opportunities. It is organized around comparative case studies of 20 global metropolitan centers (among them New York City, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Naples, Berlin, Madrid, Dubai, Delhi, Dakha, Tokyo, Manila, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Shanghai, Lagos, Johannesburg, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro). A

URBN 0230. Urban Life in Providence: An Introduction.

An introduction to Urban Studies and to the city of Providence, this first year seminar explores from an interdisciplinary perspective how cities are broadly conceptualized and studied. Students then focus on urban dwelling, using Providence as a first-hand case study. We comprehensively examine urban life and change, attending to urban history, the diverse configurations of people and place, social and environmental issues, and urban sustainability. In a lively and varied approach to local learning, course activities include lectures, discussion, reading and writing assignments, films and other media, guest speakers, and excursions to local sites. Enrollment limited to 19 first year students.

URBN 0820A. Urban Ecologies: Forms, Flows and Futures.

This seminar explores the potential agency of environmental planning and design to bring about positive change on urban-ecological problems. Students will create a framework to critically investigate the geographies of urban socio-logical processes that are directly relevant to achieving more equitable, sustainable and resilient futures. The course will focus on local geographies and extended regional dynamics through the development of cities, parks, and the role of landscape as both social and environmental infrastructure.

URBN 1000. Fieldwork in the Urban Community.

Each student undertakes a fieldwork project in close collaboration with a government agency, a nonprofit association, or a planning firm, thereby simultaneously engaging with community and learning qualitative research methods skills. In weekly seminar meetings, the class examines a series of urban issues and discusses fieldwork methodology. Students also schedule regular appointments with the instructor.

URBN 1100. Investigating the City: Hands-on Research Methods for Urban Analysis.

This course encourages students to take the study of cities into their own hands. At the start of term, students will pick their own field site within the city of Providence and will examine that field site through the lens of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The class will consist of both hybrid lecture-discussion meetings, where we will examine case studies of urban research to give students a foundational understanding of a variety of methodological approaches, and hands-on workshops, where students will gain a more practical understanding of how to collect and interpret original data and successfully communicate findings. The course will culminate in a final mixed-methods research project synthesizing the data students have collected throughout the semester at (or related to) their chosen field site.

URBN 1140. Urban Theory and Practice.

This course will give students the critical tools to explore the socio-spatial dynamics of urbanization, critique normative approaches, and galvanize possible alternative urban futures. Taking a multi-scalar approach on how cities are connected to wider regional dynamics and how urban planning and design can mobilize to address pressing issues of health, climate and social justice.

URBN 1200. The United States Metropolis, 1945-2000.

This lecture and discussion course will provide students with an introduction to the history, politics, and culture of United States cities and suburbs from the end of World War II to the close of the twentieth century. Readings are drawn from recent work in the political, social, and cultural history of U.S. cities as well as primary sources rooted in the period under study.

URBN 1250. The Political Foundations of the City.

This course examines the history of urban and social welfare policy in the United States and abroad. It reviews major theories accounting for the origins and subsequent development of welfare states, explains the "exceptional" nature of American public policy, and employs a combination of historical texts and case studies to analyze the connections between politics and the urban environment.

URBN 1260. Housing in America.

An examination of why housing matters to individuals, communities, and the nation. This course examines the unique qualities of housing and associated American cultural ideals and norms. The changing role of the government in housing is considered, along with other factors shaping the provision of housing, and the success and failure of housing programs. While housing is a necessity, for many in America housing choices are constrained as costs are unaffordable, discriminatory practices remain, and physical features do not align with needs. This course deliberates how well America meets the challenge of providing decent shelter for all residents.

URBN 1270. Urban Politics and Urban Public Policy.

A central theme of the course is that urban politics in the United arises from the interplay of governmental power and private resources. The course describes the emergence of urban America; the modern city and the theories that have evolved to explain urban politics; and the nature of the urban condition with particular emphasis on the challenges faced by residents and government in the post-industrial city.

URBN 1290. Race, Racism, and the Urban Environment.

It is impossible to understand our past or present urban environments without a critical analysis of race and racism. Likewise, it is impossible to understand the contested meanings of race without accounting for the role of urban practices and environments in shaping racial identities, disparities, and struggles. This course explores the reciprocal relationship between urban studies and critical race studies through three thematic units: city planning, housing justice, and cultural production and the policing of public space.
Throughout, we will examine the ways that cities are remade by social movements, artists, and everyday residents through practices of spatial repurposing and cultural resistance.

URBN 1870A. American Culture and the City.

This course explores American culture and the way it shapes our cities. Topics include the American dream, race, immigration, urban dilemmas, white supremacy, and the seduction of suburbia. We read a book (readings include Alexis de Tocqueville, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, Tom Wolfe, W.E.B Du Bois, and others. Films include Wall Street and Gangs of New York. Prerequisite: POLS 0220. Priority given to Urban Studies concentrators.

URBN 1870D. Downtown Development.

This seminar examines the development and revitalization of the urban core in the United States with a focus on urban planning. Providence is used as a laboratory to explore development from the perspective of the planner, the developer, and city residents. Important concepts are illustrated through field trips, public meetings, and guest speakers.

URBN 1870G. Ancient Cities: From the Origins Through Late Antiquity.

This seminar explores major cities of the ancient Near East (Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and the Levant), Egypt, Greece, and Italy from the origins through late antiquity. The primary focus will be on the physical appearance and overall plans of the cities, their natural and man-made components, their domestic and private as well as their religious and secular spaces. Objects and artifacts of daily life, including pottery, sculpture, wall paintings, mosaics, and various small finds will be evaluated to establish a more nuanced understanding of the different architectural and urban contexts.

URBN 1870J. The Politics of Community Organizing.

Introduces key issues concerning community organizing. Focuses on the life, skills, and tactics of Saul Alinsky and the national organization he founded, the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). Analyzes the work of the IAF in a number of urban settings. Seeks to develop theories and models for studying community mobilization in urban America. Priority given to Political Science and Urban Studies concentrators.

URBN 1870K. Jerusalem Divided: Politics and Cultural Heritage.

“The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city. To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian, or Muslim traditions, undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.” These are the words of Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO, spoken in 2016. While the indivisible heritage referred to in this context reflects the reality of Jerusalem’s Old City’s intertwined historical, cultural, and religious legacies, it does not address the geopolitical conflict, in which ideological and territorial claims produce diverging heritage narratives. In this seminar, we will examine how competing heritage narratives have been shaped by Israeli, Palestinian, and international views and interests. We will explore the history of archaeological exploration, discovery, and interpretation in Jerusalem in the contexts of social, political, and religious debates from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on its urban landscape.

URBN 1870M. Urban Regimes in the American Republic.

A probing of topical issues in both their theoretical antecedents and their contemporary manifestations. Examines the intellectual debates and the scholarly treatments surrounding issues of power in the city, urban redevelopment policy, urban poverty, urban educational policy, and race in the city. Enrollment limited to 20.

URBN 1870N. The Cultural and Social Life of the Built Environment.

This seminar investigates the relationship between people and place. It considers the ways that people create and experience the human-made landscape, how they understand place through various aesthetic forms, and political conflict over space and place. We look mostly at the history and contemporary development of cities and suburbs in the United States. Students will prepare a final project on a specific aspect of the built environment; they will be encouraged to focus their research on Providence or another local community. Enrollment limited to 20. Priority given to Urban Studies concentrators and seniors; instructor permission required otherwise.

URBN 1870Q. Cities in Mind: Modern Urban Thought and Theory.

This seminar investigates the place of the city in the history of modern thought and cultural theory, drawing on selected currents in urban thought and theory from Europe and the United States over the last two centuries. Topics include questions of public and private space, citizenship, selfhood, difference and inequality, media and technology, planning, modernism and postmodernism. Enrollment limited to 20 juniors and seniors, preference for those concentrating in Urban Studies.

URBN 1870T. Transportation: An Urban Planning Perspective.

This seminar explores how urban planners in the U.S. plan for and around various transportation networks. We will examine how these networks are designed and funded, which modes get priority over others, and ultimately how transportation shapes the built environment. Realworld examples of plans and projects from Providence and Rhode Island are used throughout the course. Important concepts are illustrated through field trips and guest speakers.

URBN 1870X. The Political Economy of Cities: American and Comparative Perspectives.

Why do cities grow, prosper, or decay? How are cities managed and organized? How can we make our cities better? This course is an introduction to the political economy of the cities, and the challenges and opportunities that we face today to build safe, inclusive, and sustainable cities. We will examine how economic and political factors shape cities, urban life, and urbanization processes using theories and methods from different social science disciplines (political science, economics, sociology, geography, etc.). Particular attention will be given to comparing urban processes across time and place, including cities from the U.S. and from all around the world, and critically evaluating the efforts of different actors to shape and reshape the city.

URBN 1870Z. Housing Justice.

Housing is fundamental to overall well-being, yet in RI many cannot find affordable, decent housing aligned with their needs. This community-based research course engages with local housing justice organizations working for change. Course participants, organizational staff, and community members will gather and analyze data to inform interventions and/or modify policies. After some foundational studies, the semester will be spent immersed in a team research project. Topics may include evictions, studentification and gentrification, rental inspections, property ownership, and healthy housing. The course will advance skills in research, communication, and collaboration, and expand understanding of the housing system.

URBN 1871A. Heritage in the Metropolis: Remembering and Preserving the Urban Past.

Urban heritage – from archaeological sites and historic architecture to longstanding cultural practices – is increasingly threatened by the exponential growth of cities around the globe. Most critically, the complex histories and lived experiences of the diverse communities who have inhabited and shaped cities are often in danger of being erased and forgotten today. This course examines how we might remember and preserve this urban past – and the tangible sites and artifacts that attest to it – ¬in light of the social and political dynamics of cities in the present.

URBN 1871B. Berlin: Global Metropolis (1945-2020).

This seminar explores the physical and human landscapes of post-war Berlin: its steadily expanding urban fabric and how it engages with the rapidly changing population make-up. The focus will be on the tension between past and present histories, new German identities, the recent massive migrations, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and how these social and geopolitical phenomena interact with the city’s urban spaces and monuments. As case studies, we will explore the relationship among Germans and three other significant communities: Turks, Israelis, and Palestinians.

URBN 1871E. Urban Development and Governance in the Global South.

More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, and this proportion will continue to increase mostly due to urban growth and urbanization in the Global South. This course will focus on some of the most salient governance issues that enable and constrain development in Global South cities: poverty and inequality, housing and informal settlements, political protests and social movements, crime and violence, the informal economy, climate change and pollution, etc. Special attention will be given to comparing and critically evaluating how urban governance in developing countries today resembles or departs from contemporary and historical urban processes in the United States and Western Europe.

URBN 1871F. Urban Ecologies: Forms, Flows and Futures.

This seminar explores the potential agency of environmental planning and design to bring about positive change on urban-ecological problems. Students will create a framework to critically investigate the geographies of urban socio-logical processes that are directly relevant to achieving more equitable, sustainable and resilient futures. The course will focus on local geographies and extended regional dynamics through the development of cities, parks, and the role of landscape as both social and environmental infrastructure.

URBN 1871G. Urban Asia: Beyond Tradition, Modernity, and Crisis.

In popular portrayals, the diverse cities of Asia are often caricatured as icons of eternal tradition, dazzling modernity, or intractable crisis. This seminar goes beyond these simplistic narratives to explore change and continuity in some of the world’s oldest and largest urban centers, delving into both the rich history of Asian urbanisms and the complexities of city life in the region today. Films, poetry, short stories, and artwork are paired with scholarly research to examine how urban Asia has been experienced, imagined, and represented over the centuries.

URBN 1872. The Right to the City: Focus on Indonesia.

Cities today face profound challenges, from deepening inequalities to deteriorating environments. While the scale of these issues can demand top-down interventions, some of the most creative and effective efforts to address such challenges come from activists, researchers, and residents working locally to make their urban communities more just and sustainable. This course explores the diverse ways in which communities claim their “right to the city” in urban Indonesia, focusing on citizen-led efforts to foster environmental resilience, housing justice, accessible transportation, and inclusive public spaces. This is a GELT course and will be taught at Brown and in Indonesia.

URBN 1932. The Just City: Installment I, Comparative Perspectives on Juvenile Justice Reform.

The first installment in a series on “the just city,” this course focuses on juvenile justice reform. Beginning with a broad view of the just city, the course then examines: 1) urban childhoods and constructions of race, inequality, and delinquency and 2) juvenile justice reform from a comparative perspective that includes local, U.S., and international contexts. An engaged scholars course, students participate in reflexive practices to draw connections between course content, their own experiences, and specific community-based contexts. At the end of the semester, students write and share reports in a public forum conceptualized and organized by the class.

URBN 1943. The Real Estate Development Process: An Entrepreneurial Lens.

Real estate development is the ongoing configuration of the built environment for society’s needs. The improved spaces in which we live, work, and play all started as ideas initiated and brought to fruition. Every real estate project, whether it’s making use of unused land or redeveloping existing properties, is in essence a separate business undertaking employing the three factors of production - land, labor, and capital - to create a new or changed product. These factors are coordinated by entrepreneurial management and delivered by teams.

URBN 1970. Independent Reading and Research.

A specific program of intensive reading and research arranged in terms of the special needs and interests of the student. Open primarily to concentrators, but others may be admitted by written permission. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.

URBN 1971. Senior Honors Thesis I in Urban Studies.

A program of intensive reading, research, and writing under the direction of a faculty member. Permission should be obtained from the Thesis Advisor in Urban Studies. Mandatory attendance at periodic meetings during the semester is required. Open to Senior Urban Studies concentrators pursuing Honors in Urban Studies. Instructor permission required.

URBN 1972. Senior Honors Thesis II in Urban Studies.

A program of intensive reading, research, and writing under the direction of a faculty member. Permission should be obtained from the Thesis Advisor in Urban Studies. Mandatory attendance at periodic meetings during the semester is required. Open to Senior Urban Studies concentrators pursuing Honors in Urban Studies. Instructor permission required.

URBN 1981. Honors Thesis Workshop.

This seminar introduces students to independent research and writing skills necessary for successful and timely completion of the honors thesis. Course work includes presentation of one's own thesis drafts and peer review of classmates' work. All students who submit an approved honors thesis proposal shall enroll in URBN 1981 for the spring semester of their thesis research and writing. Concentrators may also enroll in the course during semesters 6 or 7 in preparation for the honors thesis, but must present a written proposal in place of chapters. Enrollment limited to 20 juniors and seniors in Urban Studies. S/NC

URBN XLIST. Courses of Interest to Concentrators in Urban Studies.