Contemporary research in environmental humanities, urban planning and architecture call for a transdisciplinary approach to urban and environmental challenges. Urban environments are in the frontlines of contestations and policies on citizenship, ecology, housing and justice. But how is such transdisciplinary research done in practice? This course offers an approach through uniting walking explorations with critical environmental and urban theory.
With Stockholm as a guide, co-participant and laboratory, we read and analyse texts on walking from psychogeography, environmental humanities, art and ecology, urban planning, cartography and visual politics. The course also includes a series of walks, in which students have the opportunity to put the theories of the texts into walking practice.
Most of these walks will be tasks and assignments undertaken by the students individually or in groups. At least two of these walks will include the entire course meeting, as a walking seminar. The course will touch upon themes of representation, politics, city government, policy, urban wildlife habitat as well as conceptions and uses of nature, science and technology.