Designing with the Urban Stack: A Practice Course for Designers of the Built Environment

The seminar will investigate critical issues of the Urban Stack for the Kendall Square District, Cambridge, MA. The first half of the term entails teams researching various elements of the Urban Stack as they relate to conditions in the study area, followed by a charrette to identify key issues and problems of built-environment that may be productively addressed in the second part. Teams for the second half of the seminar are tasked with developing a range of considered speculations/proposals to improve the performance of built-environment for an inclusive spectrum of publics and constituencies. The work of the seminar will be conducted primarily in team format throughout the term. A core group of guest lecturers and visitors will provide additional perspectives and content for the work of the class. Students should anticipate a significant level of effort devoted to research and project development outside of the class meeting hours. The seminar is open to all graduate programs at the GSD. Pre-requisite: MAR I and MLA I students must have completed core.

Pre-requisite: MAR I and MLA I students must have completed core to enroll, otherwise no program restrictions.