School of Architecture and Planning

Graduate Concentrations

URBAN DESIGN

Urban Design is the keystone that links architecture and planning. The spatial concerns of the architect and the public policy issues of the planner are brought together by the urban designer to create an implementable vision for the city that moves beyond the individual building and the limits of policies focused primarily on public health, welfare and safety. The Urban Design/Conservation concentration emphasizes the relationship of an individual project and the public realm. This concentration expands a graduate's design options to include opportunities in both the private and public sectors, both here and abroad.

The Program presents urban design/conservation as "macro-architecture," with the architectural concerns found in the design of the individual building adapted in scale and complexity to the urban condition. To accomplish this, studios focus on the hierarchy and typology of the elements of the public realm, including: 1) existing urban fabric, 2) the inter-relationship between program, density, building typology and open space, 3) the relationship of various modes of circulation to public space, 4) the importance of identifying and providing amenity at all levels, public, semi-public and private, and 5) the development of design and implementation strategies for urban precincts that contribute to the revitalization and creation of a sustainable future of our cities, towns and villages.

Urban conservation issues focus on the sustainability of cultural resources through the development design and preservation strategies. Because urban conservation involves all social sectors, private sector investment and public-private partnerships, information on these aspects are integrated into the curriculum.

Director: Vytenis Gureckas, Associate Professor
tel: 202-319-5644; e-mail: gureckas@cua.edu