Urban Design Master's Programme

The Master’s degree programme in Urban Design at the Technische Universität Berlin encourages critical reflection when regarding cities in relation to their design. It is applied to urban systems and spaces from district to regional level. The Urban Design programme deals with urbanisation processes in an international context and covers both historical and current developments. The Master's course of study is aimed at students from different disciplines who wish to prepare for a career in a creative and scientific field of work, or who seek a key role in urban planning and public administration. The objective is to develop the skills of critical research-design: creative solutions for contemporary urban problems need to be scientifically sound and justified and take the cultural, social and political conditions into account. Architects and planners often find that their knowledge and skills alone are insufficient for coping with the challenges and tasks involved in modern urbanisation processes. Urban design is an inter- and transdisciplinary field of knowledge at the interface of architecture, urban and regional planning, urban sociology, landscape architecture and environmental planning. This programme aims at the development and sharing of integrated knowledge. A wide range of courses provides access to the various disciplines. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of urban design is reflected in the high level of student teamwork and exchanges in the context of design projects, the so-called labs and studios. Above all, methodologies are practised that reveal the high degree of complexity of tasks and enable students to intervene in diverse contexts. In cooperation with Tongji University in Shanghai, China, the Urban Design course of study is also offered as a dual degree Master's programme. Participants will spend the first year of study in Berlin and the second year in Shanghai. Compulsory Courses Urban Design Projects The scientifically-grounded projects are practical problem-based assignments that approach current planning and design tasks holistically at the local, regional, national and international level. The projects formulate complex tasks on the basis of specific urban development problems, which can be used to train students for a comprehensive urban design process. These processes range from the systematic analysis of urban planning and the preparation and discussion of alternative usage and structure programmes and design concepts to exemplary design studies of the individual elements (exterior, building typology, transport, etc.) of an overall urban design. Urban Design Methods and Tools The Urban Design Methods and Tools module focuses on the scientific methods employed in the Master's disciplines of architecture, urban and regional planning, landscape architecture and sociology and on possible ways of integrating these disciplines. The two modular parts are composed of sequences of methodological and theoretical input alternating with practical examples and exercises. The aim is to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of urban design in research and practice. Critical design approaches and spatial research (i.e. research by design) will be discussed. Introduction to Urban Design This module focuses on planning and creative tasks that take into account the social context. Students will acquire in-depth knowledge of the history of urbanism and of the impact of social and societal structures on the image of cities and how they work. The module also provides insights into the political, economic, social and cultural conditions of urban planning processes at the national and international level. Students will develop thesis-related questions and issues according to the criteria of scientific and artistic work. They will strengthen their critical reflection skills in relation to urbanisation processes and their influencing factors. Students will learn to work on a topic through theoretical and analytica