Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - Barcelona

Urban Growth and City Resilience

• code 11075
• course 1
• term Semester 1
• type OB
• credits 3

Main language of instruction: English

Head instructor

Dra. María del Carmen MENDOZA - cmendoza@uic.es

Professors

Dan Lewis (UNHabitat)

Esteban León (UNHabitat)

Dr Lorenzo Chelleri (UIC)

Arq. Sandra Bestraten

Arq. Emilio Hormias

This course explores dimensions of new thinking addressing urban-based disaster and risk reduction and response and the concept of resilience. The sessions will provide inter-active dialogue, presentations and an action-planning scenario-based response undertaken by groups drawn from the student body. Students will learn about multilateral frameworks for vulnerability and resilience assessments and explore the connection between theory and practice. They will learn about how more participative process are necessary for urban transformation in order to make our cities more resilient, adaptable to influxes of migration and prepared to respond to crisis.

This course also delves into the topic of resettlement from slums to social housing, exploring several typologies of social housing in order to analyze how they are used in response to rapid urban growth and institutional territorial planning. Students will examine urban social housing as Barcelona’s response to mass-immigration in the mid 20th century, and how those buildings have served changing populations over time. This is comprised of visits to social housing zones in Barcelona and an examination of how the building typologies have shaped the everyday experience and social interactions of the residents. 

Familiarization of students with the theory and practice related to urban-based recovery from human-made or natural crises;

To gain a critical perspective on the concept of resilience and its application in urban development  projects, laws, and political frameworks.

Introduction to response programming through simulation exercise based on real (recent) crisis. (eg. TBC)

1. Greater understanding of good and bad practice within humanitarian response;

2. Familiarisation with a methodology for developing linkages to sustainable outcomes from a post-disaster urban response;

3. Introduction to mandates, coordination systems, limits and opportunities within the emergency response and community recovery.

4. Knowing how to implement social housing projects and the strengths and weaknesses of common typologies and their social process of how they were constructed. 

Session 1: Introduction to international humanitarian response

system; UN-HABITAT mandate, role and responsibilities; post-

crisis shelter and housing assessments;

Session 2: Post-crisis shelter and housing issues – responses;

land related issues; critical infrastructure concerns.

Session 3: Urban systems based approaches to post-crisis

recovery, links to development planning

Session 4: Applied project formulation exercise – group work

preparing response programme for urban disaster.

Evaluation

Seminar-based learning through:

- presentation of pertinent audio/visual materials

- distribution of reference materials;

- dialogue and action planning.

Observation of each student:

• · participation in class
• · analytical skills and the ability to develop eventualproposals that are capable of providing specific solutions to the problems raised
• · the ability to work in a team and leadership skills
• · the ability to integrate what has been learned in class in the student’s own project/exercise
• · the ability to present in public the work and/or research developed during the course

Primarily UN-HABITAT published documentation

Publications: LENSS; Shelter Projects 2011/12; Land and

Natural Disasters; Human Settlements and Crisis (UN-

HABITAT Policy framework); Post-Disaster Needs Assessment

(excerpts)

Presentations: Cluster Approach – the IASC System;

Sustainable Relief and Reconstruction; Land and Crises; Introduction to urban systems approach; CRPP