"The Cities Programme is certainly a place of academic excellence but is first and foremost a place of encounter of great individuals and friends."
Carlo Castelli, architect and recent graduate of the MSc City Design and Social Science (2010-2011).
MSc 2011-12
This interdisciplinary Master's programme sets the design and development of cities in its social, political, economic and environmental contexts. Students are drawn from across the design disciplines, social and economic sciences, natural sciences and humanities. We take an integrated approach to urbanism based on the exchange of knowledge, information and skills between the different actors involved in city-making.
Image: blogs.guardian.co.uk/art/barbican4602.jpg
City Design Research Studio
At the heart of the MSc is a Studio course in which students work together intensively on specific sites and practical challenges in London, developing innovative propositions for urban interventions out of interdisciplinary research and analysis. Recent Studios have focused on 'urban edges', including sites bordering the 2012 Olympic development, on the 'city fringe', and on the seam between the inner and outer city. . This year's students (2011-12) are exploring the massive Barbican arts centre and housing development on the edge of the City of London. The students' work is published at the end of each year - follow the link under Contents to see our annual Studio publications.
International fieldtrip
This sustained focus on London is complemented by international urban case studies, and an international fieldtrip each year. The Ove Arup Foundation| has pledged a very generous gift of £105,000 over three years (starting 2009-10). This funds specialist teaching on infrastructure, environment and resources on the MSc in City Design and Social Science, including the work of Philipp Rode as the Ove Arup Foundation Fellow; the funding also supports the annual MSc fieldtrip to some of the world's fastest-growing conurbations. The students research key aspects of city life and design, and turn that research into strategic guidance for future design.
Students take further core and options courses from leading urban faculty across the LSE, and meet eminent urban scholars and practitioners in a series of dedicated masterclasses. This rewarding programme aims to promote interdisciplinary professionals who will engage with the city in a holistic manner and have a positive impact on the making of cities and the built environment.
The handbook for the current academic year is available as a PDF - see under Contents.
"I became interested in globalization dynamics and governance issues during my time in the Cities Programme, and on my return to Canada was appointed Policy Advisor to the Ontario Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal in Toronto. While my peers have a strong tendency and knowledge to look internationally for models and case studies for information and new ideas, I think learning in London about globalization and economic development really gave me a leg up - a more truly international perspective. Even more important has been the ability to really look at issues in a cross-disciplinary way as taught by the Cities Programme; truly thinking about social segregation, urban development, and real sustainability, in the context of transportation and economy I think is proving quite powerful. My year in the Cities Programme was maybe the most significant single year of my student life."
Michael Sutherland (MSc City Design and Social Science 2005-06)
Policy Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal, Toronto, Canada
MSc 2010-2011
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MSc City Design students and teaching fellows Dr Suzanne Hall and Juliet Davis displayed their work on 'High Street 2012' at the annual UCL Cities Methodologies exhibition at the Slade from 4 to 7 May 2011, and held a discussion on 'City Street: public realm as line and labyrinth', based on this project. The students' work was published at the end of the academic year as City Street (see Studio publications).
Cities masterclasses give Cities MSc and PhD students the opportunity to participate in seminars with leading urban theorists, researchers and practitioners. This year masterclasses were given by Edward Soja, who returns regularly to the Cities Programme, Sharon Zukin, Joseph Heathcott, Gerald Frug and Richard Sennett (also a regular visitor). Previous masterclasses have been held by Alejandro Aravena, Ian Gordon, Hashim Sarkis, Michael Storpor.
International fieldtrip: This year's students went to Moscow - for this and previous field trips to Istanbul see our International fieldtrip pages.
External Examiners' Reports 2010
First examiner:
"In my view the programme goes from strength to strength and is a tribute to the hard work and diligence of the teaching staff. The academic content is high and the essays written by the students reflect a high level of scholarly input from the teaching staff. As a result the student work has improved a great deal over the last few years.
"I was particularly impressed by the dissertations, which showed evidence of originality and excellent research across a range of different sites and spaces.
"Of even more impressive standard was the work of the design studio conducted on the areas around the London Olympic site. The work has been gathered together by the team into a publication. This is an impressive publication and I encouraged the team to seek a publishing outlet outside the school, so it could reach a wider audience. In my view this work was quite as good, if not better, than the equivalent work carried out by consultants in the private and public sectors.
"Overall therefore I commend the excellence of the programme both at the level of teaching and research. It is also very well administered."
Second examiner:
"The programme is well conceived, and the course's aims are clear, ambitious, and well developed through the curriculum. One of the best aspects of the course is the combination of studio work with theoretical engagement.
"The teaching standards, as these are reflected in the students' submitted work are high.
"Students are well prepared, and by the end of their course can acquire a sophisticated understanding of contemporary issues of urbanisation. In preparation for their exam, students were evidently given good guidance and sound advice.
"The assessment methods are particularly apt to the aims of the course, combining theoretical engagement with studio practice. Marking is of an appropriate standard and consistent range.
"As I noted above, this year's top range papers are of publishable quality, reflecting the continuous striving of teachers for critical and engaging teaching and effort to make this one of the best Masters taught courses in the UK."
Film projects (2007-08)
Five short films made by Cities MSc students (2007-08) as part of a workshop led by Cassim Shepard (currently Director, Urban Omnibus, The Architectural League of New York) can be viewed online at http://vimeo.com/user1875724|. The videos were part of the students' project work on different neighbourhoods in London.
Quick links