Anderson Hall, Room 230
ARCH 550: Intermed/Adv Architecture Seminar: Small, focused, introductory-level course in discussion, workshop and/or design-based format on topics related to current research in architecture.
This course looks at the history of transportation modes in the context of the history of cities. We will look at how we conceive and implement transportation infrastructure. We will visit some local transportation infrastructure. But, this is at heart a design class. It is not possible to become an urban designer in one semester. It is possible to learn enough about roadway design to, given a specific right-of-way width, come up with a few alternate cross-sections for a road and analyze the pros and cons of each. It is possible to learn enough about how a rail station works to lay out a set of tracks and platforms and think about how to fit them into a city. By understanding how transportation works, architects can better shape cities.