HISTORY OF URBAN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

The course focuses on key thresholds in the unfolding history of a Mediterranean city and its architecture. The student will gain an understanding of the urban and architectural planning of a major city during the Middle Ages and in the Modern epoch. The course will also introduce to the methods of investigation of a city and the methods for comparing it to other cases. The integration of archaeological, textual and cartographic evidence as complementary sources for interpreting the historical developments of the city is stressed throughout. At the end of the course the student should be in a position to have knowledge of a major chapter in the architectural and urban history of the Mediterranean and to get the tools for further investigation of other similar case-studies.
The course is comprised within the majors of the Modern and Contemporary tracks or curricula of the degree in History of Art and Conservation of Artistic Heritage. Every other year the course covers aspects of one of the two tracks, either of the Modern or of the Contemporary one. In the current academic year (2018/19) the course is designed for students of the Modern track. This specific course could also be suitable for students of the Medieval-Byzantine track.

1. Knowledge and understanding:
• Provide a firm grounding in the fundamentals of the language of the discipline.
• Provide the understanding of the urban developments of Constantinople/Istanbul throughout the epochs and of the sources related to them.
• Provide knowledge on the monumental complexes analysed and understanding of their function within the fabrics of the city.

2. Skills:
• Students must demonstrate a correct use of the language of the discipline in all its practical applications (written text, communication).
• Students must be able to analyse the major monumental complexes of Constantinople/Istanbul touched upon in class.
• Students must be able to analyse the urban developments of a city, using Constantinople/Istanbul as a reference case-study.

3. Critical judgement:
• Students must be able to formulate and logically structure analyses, developing a critical approach to the themes and questions discussed in class.

4. Communication skills:
• Students must be able to communicate on specific themes and issues of art historical and architectural-historical investigation, using appropriate terminology.
• Students must be able to logically and coherently organize their thought on themes touched upon by this course.
• Students must be able to interact with one another and with the supervisor in an appropriate and respectful way, in class and on the digital platform.

5. Learning skills:
• Students must be able to consult and critically use the bibliography given througout the course.

This course presumes previous knowledge of the basic thresholds in the history of Medieval and Modern architecture, studied during the first three-years degree. An understanding of written English is preferred.

This course gives a comprehensive introduction to the history of the city of Constantinople/Instanbul from the Middle Ages well into modern times. It comprises the analysis of the Byzantine capital as well as of the Ottoman city and includes a survey into the studies dedicated to the historical development of the urban structure during the 18th century. The course comprises taught lectures on three main aspects: the Byzantine city (9th-13th c.); the Ottoman city (15th-18th c.); western cartography and landscape mapping of the city in modern times (16th-18th c.). Each aspect will be developed with the contribution of a specialized scholar: for the Byzantine city, Dr Beatrice Daskas; for the Ottoman city, Prof. Aygul Agir (ITU, Istanbul, 2018/19 visiting scholar at Ca’ Foscari).

Active participation of students is also envisaged (seminar classes).

The following is a list of general readings and reference texts/websites on the key themes touched upon by the course:

- Richard Krautheimer, Architettura paleocristiana e bizantina, Torino, Einaudi, 1986
- Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls. Byzantion, Konstantinupolis, Istanbul bis zum Beginn des 17. Jahrhunderts, Wolfgang Muller-Wiener ; unter Mitarbeit von Renate und Wolf Schiele mit einem Beitrag von Nezih Firatli, Tubingen, E. Wasmuth, c1977
- cartography and visual items on the city can be found at: https://istanbul-constantinople.culturalspot.org/home

At beginning of the course more precise indications on the sections of these readings to be prepared for the exam will be given, with further bibliografic references on specific themes discussed.

References on the Byzantine city:
- Paul Magdalino, Constantinople médiévale: étude sur l'évolution des structures urbaines, Paris, De Boccard, 1996 (ristampa e traduzione inglese in Paul Magdalino, Medieval Constantinople, in Id, Studies on the History and Topography of Byzantine Constantinople, Aldershot, 2007, nr. 1 pp. 61-75).
- Byzantine Constantinople : Monuments, topography and everyday life, edited by Nevra Necipoglu, Leiden, Boston ; Kôln : Brill, 2001

References on the Ottoman city:
- Doğan Kuban, Ottoman Architecture, translated by Adair Mill, photography by Cemal Emden, Woodbridge : Antique Collectors' Club, 2010
- Gülru Necipoğlu, The Age of Sinan : architectural culture in the Ottoman Empire / Gülru Necipoğlu ; architectural drawings and photographs of Sinan's works by Arben N. Arapi and Reha Günay, Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2005
-Stefanos Yerasimos, Constantinople : Istanbul's historical heritage, Köln : Könemann ; Princes Risborough : John Wilson [distributor], 2005

References for the study of the city and its cartographic representation in Modern times:
J.M. Rogers, Itineraries and Town Views in Ottoman Histories, in The History of Cartography, edited by J. B. Harley and David Woodward, vol. 2, Cartography in the traditional Islamic and South Asian societies, Chicago & London, The University of Chicago Press, 1992, pp. 228-255
Byzance retrouvée: érudits et voyageurs français (16.-18. siècles), sous la direction de Marie-France Auzépy, Jean-Pierre Grélois, Paris, Centre d'études byzantines, néo-helléniques et sud-est européennes-EHESS, Publications de la Sorbonne-Byzantina Sorbonensia, 2001

Oral exam. During the exam the student must demonstrate an in-depht knowledge of the themes and aspects touched upon in class and be able to command the appropriate language to discuss about them.

The course comprises taught lectures by the three referent supervisors and seminar sessions, during which students will be asked to discuss readings prepared at home.

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