This course discusses architectural and planning design as human shelter, the utility of urban space for the state and society, the cultural construction of urban form, the traditional and modern concepts, the expression and interpretation of the urban built environment in Asia.
Urban form is the interface between urban planning, architecture and cultural studies.
In planning, it is regarded as the physical organization of cities. In architecture, it is considered as a spatial articulation of built environment. In cultural studies, it is viewed as incremental historical icons. This course addresses these specific aspects of urban form theoretically and empirically. The geographic and cultural emphasis of the course is placed in Asia.