Doctoral Projects

The emergence of civic centres in the wake of World War II constitutes a significant chapter in South Africa’s urban design history yet is overshadowed today by the dark legacy of apartheid spatial planning. South African civic centres generally followed the example set by Great Britain, where public buildings and municipal offices were developed to establish the centre of … full description of Thomas Chapman's project

The second wave of decolonization of Africa took place from the mid-to-late 1950s to 1975. Colonial governments gave way to independent states with sudden and radical regime changes on the continent. Apart from nation-building processes, this political transformation was also strongly shaped by political imaginaries that went beyond nationalism, reimagining the relationships ... full description of Lahbib El Moumni's project

This dissertation explores the complex relations between urban codes and urban form that have shaped the city of Zurich from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Urban codes have a long history of being one of the most proactive ways to govern urbanisation processes and are often presented as reactions to the practical challenges ... full description of Sanna Kattenbeck's project

This dissertation examines the hydraulic infrastructure of the city and hinterland of Meknes at the time it was a French protectorate (1912-1956). There have been many studies on French colonial architecture and urbanism in Morocco. Studies focusing on rural modernisation are less common but interest in the subject is growing. However, spatial and material research on the hydraulic infrastructure within a rural-urban continuum remains largely unexamined … full description of Sara Frikech's project

Very little research exists on urban-scale models. In existing scholarship, they are often lumped together with architectural models. Although urban models certainly possess characteristics that are similar to those of architectural models, they also differ. The key difference, this research project hypothesises, is that in urban-scale models, the performative capacity … full description of Maxime Zaugg's project