Urban Lab: investigating contemporary city

general courses

The aim of the course is to introduce an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to urban research design. It’s open for students from across disciplines including social, economic, natural sciences and humanities. The course focuses on applied aspects of urban research and develops methodology workshop with particular focus on participatory and action research. Students are introduced to specific locations and practical challenges regarding development of the city of Warsaw and expected to conduct an independent study in groups of 4-5, making most of their knowledge, skills and experience.

The main theme of this year’s course will be tensions between the ‘local’ and the ‘metropolitan’.

The course will include the following blocks:

1) Introduction to urban studies.

2) Urban research design and methodology.

3) Study trips, guest lectures and site selection.

4) Developing and testing research tools.

5) Field work research.

6) Final presentation and recommendations.

During the first thematic block students will be expected to discuss the meaning of ‘local’ and ‘metropolitan’ dimensions of urban economy and look for examples of tensions between these two dimensions from literature and their own experience.

The block regarding methodology shall introduce several urban research methods that allow for participatory research design, that is the design that involves perspectives of different actors involved in city-making.

Several field trips around the Warsaw city will allow the students to gain deeper insight into the urban space and choose particular location that they shall investigate further.

In further steps students, in groups of 4-5, will develop their own research design, tools. These tools shall be than tested and improved as part of teamwork. Each group will than conduct the main field research in a selected location and analyse the results.

Finally, the students will present their approach, research results and recommendations in front of the whole class. Each team will be given feedback from other colleagues and this evaluation process shall also be graded.

1. Bergold, Jarg & Thomas, Stefan. 2012. Participatory Research Methods: A Methodological Approach in Motion [110 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 13 (1). Art. 30, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1201304.

2. Comunian, R., Chapain, C., Clifton, N., 2010. Location, location, location: exploring the complex relationship between creative industries and place. Creat. Ind. J., 3(1).

3. Cornwall, Andrea, and Rachel Jewkes. 1995. What is participatory research? Social Science & Medicine 41.12: 1667–1676.

4. Fischler, Raphaël. “Fifty Theses on Urban Planning and Urban Planners.” Journal of Planning and Education Research 32.1 (2012): 107–114

5. Hall, Peter. Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design in the Twentieth Century. 3d ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.

6. iCoCo. 2010. Understanding and monitoring tension and conflict in local communities. A practical guide for local authorities, police service and partner agencies. Second edition, http://www.tedcantle.co.uk/publications/033%20Tension%20monitoring%20guidance%20iCoCo%202010.pdf

7. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House, 2011.

8. Jakob, D., 2010. Constructing the creative neighborhood: Hopes and limitations of creative city policies in Berlin. City, Cult. Soc., 1(4), p.193–198.

9. Krishnaswamy, A. 2004. Participatory Research: Strategies and Tools. Practitioner: Newsletter of the National Network of Forest Practitioners 22: 17-22h. http://nature.berkeley.edu/community_forestry/Workshops/powerpoints/tools%20and%20strategies%20of%20PR.pdf

10. Raagmaa, G., 2003. Centre-periphery model explaining the regional development of the informational and transitional society. In 43rd CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION (ERSA). Jyväskylä.

In terms of knowledge, student...

(1) Characterises the main conflicts between the local and metropolitan functions in cities and regions in the social, economic and cultural aspects .

In terms of abilities and skills, student...

(1) ) Creates the mind maps in English .

(2) Presents the results of field research in English and in an interactive way .

(3) Participates in a discussion in English on the results of field research .

In terms of social skills...

(1) Takes on the various roles during group work involving the design, implementation and presentation of the results of field research on conflicts between the local and metropolitan functions of cities and regions.

Attendance (20 points), active participation during lectures (30 points)., group presentation (50 points). To obtain the credit, it is necessary to get at least 60 points.