The Open Cities Laboratory (OCL) cluster is our center for research on the social, spatial and environmental complexities of the 21st century city. With us you will focus on Rome but the issues explored can be applied to any city.
Cities are humankind’s nature. They offer opportunities not only for innovation and economic growth but for a positive impact on the environment. The courses taught in the Open Cities Laboratory take advantage of our critical location in Rome, a European capital at the crossroads of the global north and south.
OCL CLUSTER COURSE OFFERINGS
Through our courses, internships & programs in the OCL cluster, you will study the historic growth and transformation of the city, the challenges it has repeatedly faced over time, and those it faces today. You will learn to reflect on questions such as how Rome proposes dealing with its changing climate. Our courses in the OCL cluster include:
OCL 201 Layers of Rome
OCL 210 Sustainable Rome
OCL 302 Urban Regeneration and Preservation
OCL 401 Urban Placemaking and Environmental Design Studio
“The challenge for urban design in its second half-century, as the authors in this issue recognize, is not to establish a canon for the discipline based on a particular idea about what a city ought to be. It is to come to terms intellectually with the diversity of urban dwellers' needs and desires: to develop a sophisticated awareness of the environment and one’s impact upon it; to be more civil and responsive towards others; to not simply express concern for those less fortunate but to act on their behalf; to use technological advances for more equitable distribution of resources, not only for increasing personal wealth; and to tolerate less waste and redundancy. Different “urbanisms” should flourish in a still urbanizing world, including places where cappuccino may be happily consumed…”
