Urban Design Skills: Analyzing and Representing the City

Every city tells a story through its streets, public spaces, and building patterns, but reading these spaces requires a structured approach. This text-based course teaches you how to observe, interpret, and represent the physical urban environment with clarity and purpose. You will transition from a passive observer of the city to an active analytical thinker, mastering the fundamental techniques used by planners and designers to evaluate urban form, spatial dynamics, and community interactions. What you'll learn: - Understand the foundational vocabulary of urban design, including scale, density, and spatial relationships. - Analyze public spaces using modern walkability, accessibility, and social activity frameworks. - Document urban environments through structured written field notes, spatial mapping concepts, and analytical notation. - Evaluate how physical infrastructure affects human behavior and community interactions. - Interpret the layers of history, zoning, and transit that shape contemporary city layouts. - Practice translating real-world observations into clear, analytical design narratives and conceptual spatial representations. The course begins with core terminology and the principles of urban observation, before guiding you through structured analytical exercises and modern representation techniques. It is designed for absolute beginners, aspiring planners, and civic advocates with no prior design background or specialized software experience. Start learning how to read and represent the cities around you today.