urbanHIST

Urbanism - the Emerging Disciplines

When modernism failed in the late 1950s to deliver its concepts and conceptions of the functional cities, attempts were made to reconciliation with history.  Existing cities, especially their historical cores, were apprehended as objects of investigation. Postmodernism, and all other isms, ideas and ideals that were put forward show the increasing interest in cities. The development and multiplication of disciplinary orientations on urbanism as field of inquiry has been of great interest to the ESR and their supervisor.

The seminars and the dialog maintained with the ArcDes research group has been of great importance in terms of critical perspective on the “Swedish model”, housing development after the Second World War and related rational planning. Other opportunities offering arenas to methodological and disciplinary investigations were completed in the courses and research seminars organised at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Other activities - ESRs have completed their academic secondments in different academic research milieus and traditions, which contributed to an extended understanding of research processes, and related theoretical and methodological traditions.

Planning Theory – Introduction

Planning theory is diffuse concept, which includes several types of theories. In a well-known book on planning theory, the author lists different categories of theories. The category called normative theories includes statement on how the life-world should be. The author distinguishes between six different categories. The result of this broad perspective on theory is that the concept of planning theory stretches over what in social science context is defined within the concept of theory. 

The diffuse meaning of the concept of planning theory is rooted in the equally vague meaning of the concept of planning.  What it is meant by planning is often undefined and the very meaning is formed by the object of the study. Historically the concept aimed the process leading to the conception of a plan (or master plan). Later on much interest was directed to the proper process, but not necessary with the intention to end in the conception of a plan. The concept of planning became therefor overlapping other discipline as decision theory, political science, national economy, etc. Therefore, the aim of this introduction in planning theory is to propose an analysis of the constituent of the concepts of planning and planning theory.  

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Investigations in the Studies of European Urbanism

Urbanism as a discipline and profession is a modern phenomenon, although, if considered as building and development activity, its roots can be traced back to about 4000 BC. As the actual subject of the research focuses on the development, implications, actors and consequences of urbanism in the 20th century Europe, investigations in the studies on the subject of the research have been carried out by the three ESRs at BTH. The file of research related to the emergence and development of urbanism displays the reasons, the role and consequences of the implementation of urbanism as regulative tool. As the industrialisation processes reached European countries successively and the speed of its proliferation was not the same everywhere, different conceptions of urbanism were set up to meet more local or national needs and goals. Aspiration for the welfare and the means made at disposition to achieve it were also thought, formulated and implemented differently. It is then important to display this diversity of models of urbanisms in a wider European and transnational realm, making the conception of possible typology of urbanisms, not only as classification of European models of urbanisms, but more important is the identification of the inner identity and meaning of every category. The investigations of rapidly changing ideologies and agendas of urbanisation provides a deeper understanding of political and economic power relations. The critical study of the ecological versus sustainable urban development rises questions on the shift from a bottom-up and participative urbanism to liberal initiative. Complexities and contradiction of this shift of orientations and actions are perhaps the very meaning and character of this model of urbanism.