Course summary

This multi-disciplinary course analyses the impact of capitalist neoliberalism on development. It examines neoliberal policies over the last 30 years and their effects on urban layout, property markets, architectural form and social justice. Although sited within the architecture department we welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines. The course is comprised of four modules: Reading the Neoliberal City; Psychogeography and Situationism; Ethical Development and the Digital City. Topics for study include the housing crisis and the privatisation of cities, investigating the financialisation of the urban environment, polarisation and the consequences for citizens in terms of trust and fear. The modules on Ethical Development and the Digital City focus on potential alternatives to the neoliberal city. Architecture at UEL is based in our Docklands campus, in a pioneer area for neoliberal development and a key study site for the course. But while London is the focus, the global impact of these processes, which are relevant across the world, provides the context.