24.11.2024

Studying urban planning – an overview

Building design

The urban planning course at the University of Stuttgart is particularly well known. (Photo: Max Böttinger / Unsplash)

Urban planning is concerned with developing sustainable and future-proof models for living together in cities. This does not involve the design of individual buildings, but rather entire districts or cities that are designed and shaped according to certain specifications.

How do you actually become an urban planner? Here you can read how a degree in urban planning is structured, what topics you can expect, what students should know before applying and where you can study urban planning in Germany and Europe.

Urban planning is concerned with developing sustainable and future-proof models for living together in cities. Unlike architecture, it is not about designing individual buildings, but rather entire districts or cities that are designed and shaped according to certain specifications. Urban planners must include social, ecological and legal aspects in their proposals and also know the basics of neighboring disciplines such as architecture, landscape architecture and construction technology.

The urban planning degree program focuses on theoretical and practical knowledge about planning visions. Students learn about the framework conditions of urban development, urban planning and urban development and receive an introduction to the methodology for planning and design. Urban cultural history, legal principles and computer-aided planning with CAD software are also part of the curriculum.

In addition, the course includes the basics of social science research and economic approaches. Transport planning and the guidelines of sustainable urban development are equally important in order to be able to deal with complex urban processes.

An internship in the field of urban planning is recommended before the course and is even compulsory during the course. Students can also gain experience in related subjects such as transport planning, civil engineering, sociology, statistics, surveying or environmental sciences. The Bachelor’s degree course lasts six to eight semesters and the Master’s degree course lasts four semesters.

The focus of urban planning studies is the planning and design of cities. To this end, students learn how to draw in perspective, how to work with supporting computer programs and how to develop and present their own plans. Depending on the university and individual focus of interest, it is possible to concentrate on certain aspects of the city.

More and more degree courses in the field of urban planning are offering topics such as “liveable city”, “green city”, “resilient city” or “smart city”. As this is a very future-oriented course of study, students are well advised to choose an interesting and relevant focus.

It is also important to network with experts in your chosen specialization at an early stage. This can be done via professional networks such as LinkedIn, but also by attending conferences and workshops. Many practicing urban planners are happy to act as mentors and provide students with practical insights, valuable tips and contacts.

What students should know

Admission to an urban planning degree course is restricted by a numerus clausus at some universities. Other requirements such as particularly good grades in the school subjects of mathematics, social studies and politics or a relevant internship are sometimes also part of the application conditions.

If you have a good spatial sense and good drawing and planning skills, you are already well prepared. Knowledge of subjects such as biology and chemistry is particularly helpful for ecological issues in urban planning, while mathematics and physics provide a good basis for technical, engineering work.

Students should have a good command of English and an interest in computer science. Spreadsheets, CAD software and graphics programs are just as much a part of the urban planning curriculum as philosophical and historical texts and, of course, city plans.

During their studies, students should be prepared for various project and group work, practical phases and excursions. Flexibility is required. During the practical exercises in particular, important “soft skills” are practiced, which will later play a central role in everyday working life.

Many universities in Germany offer a degree in urban planning. Sometimes it is called “spatial planning” and specialties such as “urban and environmental planning”, “urban design” and related terms are also common. The Bachelor’s degree course deals with the basics of urban planning. Students can choose whether they want to focus more on technical drawing, architecture, administration or the environment.

The following universities in Germany offer particularly well-known urban planning courses:

Over 20 universities in this country offer these and similar degree programs. Depending on the desired focus, those interested can also search for keywords such as landscape planning, nature conservation planning, regional planning or urban planning. Sustainability and environmental studies are also increasingly focusing on urban planning.

Master’s degree courses in urban planning in Germany are increasingly offered in English. You can therefore expect a good mix of German and international students and global topics, which offers an exciting complement to the Bachelor’s degree. Many universities accept Master’s students who have a Bachelor’s degree in related subjects such as political and social science, architecture or engineering.

The study of urban planning is also widespread in other European countries. In the UK it is known as “town planning”, in most other countries as “urban planning”. Interested students should note that a lot of local knowledge about the respective country is taught, especially in Bachelor’s degree courses.

The selection of Master’s degree courses for urban planning studies in other countries is particularly interesting. For example, you can study “Global Urban Development and Planning” at the University of Manchester. The Science Po in Paris offers the course “Governing Ecological Transitions in European Cities” and in Stockholm there is a Master’s degree in “Transport and Geoinformation Technology”.

You can find other relevant articles on the subject of urban planning here.

25.12.2024

Mold control: inspiration from medical technology

Building design

Microorganisms cause massive damage to cultural assets worthy of protection every year. Currently used methods for the antimicrobial treatment of cultural assets are mostly limited in their efficiency or use toxic biocides. An investigation into new methods for creating antimicrobial surfaces and their applicability in cultural property protection. Advertorial Article Parallax Article Paintings, books, textiles, metal objects, wooden objects, pieces of furniture – almost all […]

Microorganisms cause massive damage to cultural assets worthy of protection every year. Currently used methods for the antimicrobial treatment of cultural assets are mostly limited in their efficiency or use toxic biocides. An investigation is being carried out into new methods for creating antimicrobial surfaces and their applicability in the protection of cultural property.

Paintings, books, textiles, metal objects, wooden objects, pieces of furniture – almost all types of our cultural heritage worthy of protection are affected by microbial infestation. Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and molds cause massive damage to art and cultural assets and even attack building facades or stone monuments. Air pollution and surface erosion further promote microbial contamination. However, microbial infestation of cultural assets not only affects the objects concerned, but also poses considerable health risks for visitors and employees of museums and depots as well as restorers.

Although numerous biocidal substances have long been known and used to protect cultural objects against microbial infestation, their effectiveness is often limited. In addition, there are now massive toxicological concerns about some of the biocides traditionally used, so their use should be avoided wherever possible.

Taking into account the specifics of individual cultural assets, the requirements for a biocidal protective coating can generally be summarized as follows:

Very similar requirements are now placed on antimicrobial protective coatings designed to protect the surfaces of medical devices (for example implants, prostheses and medical instruments) against microbial contamination. Like cultural assets, medical devices that are used every day in clinics or doctors’ surgeries are at risk of bacterial or fungal infestation. Such infections associated with implants can cause life-threatening complications. For this reason, extensive research has been carried out in recent years, including by the authors themselves, to develop antimicrobial surfaces for medical devices.

Due to the comparability of the requirement profiles for antimicrobial protective coatings for cultural assets and medical devices, it makes sense to take a closer look at new technologies for antimicrobial surfaces developed in medical technology and to examine their transferability to the protection of cultural assets. Therefore, selected new methods for the creation of antimicrobial surfaces for medical technology, in particular on the basis of nano- or microscale functional layers, and their applicability in cultural property protection are to be investigated.

The text is an excerpt from the article “Medical technology provides inspiration. New methods for producing antimicrobial surfaces” by Thorsten Laube, Claudia Rode and Matthias Schnabelrauch from RESTAURO 7/2016. You will find the full article in RESTAURO from October 10, 2016.

02.11.2024

Project

In slow motion

Building design

Work on the central station in the Dutch city of Arnhem has now been going on for 20 years. As a result, skaters have appropriated the space.

Work on the central station in the Dutch city of Arnhem has now been going on for 20 years. Despite ongoing construction work, the area has been appropriated by a user group that the planner considers unpredictable and often finds no space: skaters. A success for the responsible landscape architects from Bureau B+B. But where did it come from?

The design of Arnhem station is the result of more than two decades of collaboration between the architects UNStudio and the landscape architects from Bureau B+B. It presented the planners with various challenges. Topographically alone: the station is located on the slope of the Veluwe massif and the planners had to overcome a height difference of 20 meters. They achieved this by creating a subtle, constantly changing landscape. The folded, undulating natural stone surfaces largely trace the terrain below, linking visitor flows and ensuring a smooth transition between the different elevation levels.

Pictures: Frank Hanswijk

If you are not continuing your journey immediately, you can also make yourself comfortable on the wooden benches that emerge from the edges of the sloping natural stone surfaces in the quiet corners of the station grounds. You don’t have to buy anything, as there is no obligation to buy anything to sit down in the rooms outside the station. This is one of the reasons why the Arnhem station forecourt is so lively. And it is in turn an explanation for the fact that these local people tend to belong to those population groups that are otherwise often pushed out of public spaces – such as older people, young people, skaters or homeless people.

The Arnhem train station shows this: The less the purpose of a public space is defined, the more opportunities users have to implement their own ideas. This is of particular benefit to population groups that are often deliberately excluded when planning public spaces. The square design also benefited from the fact that it took around two decades to implement. This allowed the user groups, who tend to be marginalized, to appropriate the space in the long term.

Curious? You can find the full article on Arnhem station in the February 2019 issue of G+L.

Translated from the English by Sigrid Ehrmann