ARCH 506, Section 3

This course will examine state-led responses to contemporary challenges of urbanization, notably the climate emergency. Our primary focus will be the Netherlands and Belgium: countries where the planning systems emerged historically from challenges of water management. Key areas of exploration include allocating, pooling, and circulating resources to effectively address the climate emergency; developing cities in more collective, cooperative, sustainable, and equitable ways while doing more with less; and the roles of communities, municipalities, and the state in guiding future urban transformations. We will explore these issues by examining both the historical and contemporary aspects of the Dutch and Belgian welfare states, their architecture, and urbanism.