This subject is conceived as an introduction to the main objects and themes of Urban Studies. The course focuses on the history of the urban fact and
its contemporary dynamics, particularly from a cultural approach. The first part of the subject addresses the formation and evolution of the city from a
historical and geographical perspective, seeking to identify those aspects that are key to understanding the current urban landscape The second part
aims to analyze the spatial evolution of cities in today¿s world, focusing on dynamics such as tertiarization and gentrification in the developed countries
and rapid urban growth and hypertrophy in developing countries. The third part deals with another central issue of contemporary cities: public spaces,
their history and above all the policies and actions for their requalification and improvement.
1. THE CITY THROUGH HISTORY
1.1. The preindustrial city.
- The origins of urbanization.
-The city in Ancient history.
-The medieval city.
-The city in the Modern Age.
1.2. The industrial city.
-Changes and transformations of the city in the 19th Century.
-The contemporary city in the 20th Century.
1.3. The postindustrial city.
2. CURRENT URBAN PROCESSES AND DYNAMICS
2.1. Processes and dynamics in the cities of the developed world.
-Development and consolidation of medium-sized cities.
-Tertiarization and gentrification of urban spaces.
2.2. Processes and dynamics in the developing world cities.
-The urban systems of developing countries: urban growth and densification; hypertrophy of the capitals and social segregation.
-From neocolonial to contemporary city: new urban spaces for the middle class.
3. PUBLIC SPACE AND THE CITY
-The public space as a defining factor of cities and citizenship.
-Culture and public space.
-Recent changes in the regeneration and creation of public spaces.