This course is designed to sensitise students for the challenges and chances of (rapid) urbanisation. The course will draw attention to relevant theoretical concepts and the cur-rent state of the art concerning a range of sub-topics such as housing, rural-urban migra-tion, city planning and the linkages between urbanisation and growth.
Since 2007, most of the world’s population live in cities. In response, the management of urbanisation has become an increasingly relevant topic for national governments and development agencies. As such, SDG11 calls for making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. This course is designed to sensitise students for the challenges and chances of (rapid) urbanisation. The course will draw attention to relevant theoretical concepts and the current state of the art concerning a range of sub-topics such as housing, rural-urban migration, city planning and the linkages between urbanisation and growth. Students are expected to present own case studies (oral presentation) and to later put them in conversation with concepts learnt in class (written essay). The aim of the course is to enhance students’ ability to discuss, understand, and critically reflect on interdependencies and complexities of urbanisation, urban planning and development. The course is structured in the following way:
- Overview on global urbanisation – histories, numbers, trends
- City, urban life, urbanisation … What does it mean?
- Cities as “engines of growth”?
- Urban competitiveness, ‘worlding’ and discourse
- Cities and Connectivity – Infrastructure & Mobility
- The right to the city (incl. field trip)
Learning outcomes: At the end of this course, students
- understand the relevance of urban studies for development,
- have engaged with relevant literature related to urban studies and development,
- know and have successfully undertaken main steps of a critical analysis of urban de-velopment trends, strategies, and policies,
- and are able to apply theoretical concepts to their daily urban experiences. Preconditions for participation Basic knowledge in Development studies.
Lecturer: M.A. Phillip Riedel
>> detailed course description
Registration for this course:
1. Check the Assessment method in the detailed course description
2. Fill out the form in the sign up button below
3. Since this is an ECTS course from Ruhr University Bochum, your application will be forwarded to Ruhr University Bochum. Your registration is successful, when you get a confirmation email. The relevant course information will be provided by the lecturer.
Face-to-face at IEE in Bochum
registration open - deadline: 11.5.2025
