This PhD course is part of the thematic path "Urban and Regional Studies" of the PhD programme in Urban and Regional Development. The course presents and discusses the current international debate on urban studies, with the aim to provide a wider knowledge on the main urban theories and to stimulate a critical knowledge of the contemporary urban phenomenon. Using a theoretical lenses, the course mainly refers to the contemporary urbanisation process at different scales. During the course, a workshop is dedicated to strengthening the following skills: (i) reading and understanding articles published in international journals (e.g. Urban Studies, Progress in Human Geography, City, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Environment and Planning A and D, Antipode; etc.), (ii) defining a research question and (iii) writing a literature review (writing style, selecting references, use of bibliographic sources, etc.)

basic knowledge of the international urban debate

The course aims at presenting key concepts and approaches in the field of urban studies, with special attention to the rise of the so-called critical urban theory and its evolutionary trajectories. Lectures are organised as a dialogue between different approaches to urban and regional studies. Three main topics are covered: 1. Urban studies between mainstream urban knowledge and critical urban theory and (12h); 2. the infrastructure turn (4h); 3. Differences, inequalities, and marginalities in the urban realm (4h).

On site

Oral presentation - Written report presentation

P.D.1-1 - December