The MSc City Design and Social Science includes an annual international fieldtrip to undertake an intensive study of development and design issues in a critical urban context. The fieldtrip builds on the programme's engagement with processes of city-making via a range of international case studies, and complements the sustained focus on a key London site or sites in the City Design Research Studio.
This year the theme of post-socialist cities resumed with a visit to Belgrade, Serbia from 15 - 20 February 2016. The students were accompanied by Dr David Madden and Dr Gunter Gassner. They were assisted by architect and researcher Dubravka Sekulić, who organised their programme. The image above is by MSc student Megan Groth. See our Belgrade webpage for some more images taken by the students during their time in the city.
In 2015 the MSc student group, together with faculty members Dr Gunter Gassner and Professor Fran Tonkiss, travelled to Beirut 16-21 May. Working in collaboration with colleagues at the American University of Beirut's Neighbourhood Initiative and Department of Architecture and Design, the students explored processes of urban development in key sites in central Beirut, including: the Solidere redevelopment of the city's historic core, new residential developments in the Ain Mreisseh area bordering the AUB campus, and the planned development of the Dalieh of Raouche seafront area to the west of the centre. Above: students with new friends in Beirut, image Bianca Ryseck.
MSc City Design students visited Sarajevo from 18-23 May 2014, at the invitation of the Faculty of Architecture and the Centre for Refugee and IDP Studies (CESI), Institute for Social Science Research, University of Sarajevo. They were accompanied by Professor Fran Tonkiss and Dr David Madden, and led by Gruia Badescu (2009 graduate of the programme and our Balkan expert) who once again arranged a very full programme of activities - see the Sarajevo 2014 webpage for more. Image above of MSc students enjoying May sunshine and view of Sarajevo (Regina Kertapati).
From 23 to 28 March 2013 students on the MSc City Design and Social Science visited Bucharest with Dr Suzi Hall and David Madden. Their guide was alumnus Gruia Badescu (class of 2009), who arranged a full programme of tours, site visits and meetings with Romanian urban planners, architects and others with expertise or a stake in regeneration in Bucharest. See our Bucharest 2013 webpage for images taken by the students.
Cafe society: Juan Sebastian Lama and Catarina De Almeida Brito in Bucharest (image left, Jacob Bielecki)
In March 2012 MSc City Design students accompanied by Dr Fran Tonkiss and Dr Suzanne Hall visited CEPT University, Ahmedabad, in Gujarat province, northwest India, where they looked at the issues facing a city growing fast economically and demographically, and in particular at proposals by the city authorities for the development of the riverfront. See the Ahmedabad 2012 webpage for more about the trip.
Image right: Youngsoo You and Adriana Valdez Young in Ahmedabad (Adriana Young)
In March 2011 MSc students visited Moscow to get an overview of the situation there, meet local experts and look in particular at the severe traffic problems which affect mobility and liveability in the city. On the basis of what they learned on the fieldtrip the students proposed briefs /strategic frameworks for the future development of Moscow’s Garden Ring (the second Moscow Ring) and one specific site situation along the ring for their Citymaking assignments (part of the assessment for the City Design Research Studio). See the Moscow 2011 webpage for programme details and more images of the city.
In March 2010 MSc students and tutors visited Istanbul, focusing in particular on the proposed development of the Haydarpaşa train station and container port site on the Sea of Marmara, in the Asian part of the city and opposite the historic peninsula (see the Haydarpaşa Summary prepared by LSE Cities researcher Omer Cavusoglu).
Field visits to different sites in Istanbul were supported by seminars with local experts from Bilgi University, Istanbul Technical University, Sabanci University, Turkish State Railways, and Istanbul Metropolitan Planning and Urban Design Centre (IMP).
This visit built on the work of the Urban Age Istanbul conference and research agenda (see under Quick Links below), and was followed by an intensive design charette in London led by the architect and urban designer Alejandro Gutierrez.
See the Istanbul Scrapbook for a student's impressions of their stay and images of the city on the 2009 field trip.
Quick links