With the development of supra-national institutions and the global economy, the cities are facing new challenges and have increasing opportunities for action. The change is rapid and presently the directions seem uncertain. Some speak of the dissolution of the city due to the effects of new technologies, globalisation and individual choice. Some fear a polarised ‘dual city’ of social conflict with decreasing social cohesion and a declining cultural and economic productivity. However, others see the emergence of a ‘new urbanism’ as a socio-spatial concept and still others proclaim a new quality in the intertwined urban regions under the heading of ‘network-city’. The contrasting perspectives seem to lie between de-localisation (the loss of the meaning of space and face-to-face relations, the increasing importance of information and technology as a consequence of globality) and an increasing importance of locality (enabling milieus, civil society). In order to provide the local ‘foundation’ for the lives of their populations, cities will in future have to ‘pro-actively’ find a balance, which enables them to cope on a global level and is locally embedding for their populations.

There were two dramatic shifts in central and eastern Europe affecting politics, economy and society during the 20^th century: nationalization-centralization-totalitarianization versus, four decades later, privatization-decentralization-democratization which are presently deeply influencing debates and action. It is no wonder that there is hardly a clear vision existing about an urban future and paths and methodologies of development.

The course will focus on the analysis of eastern and western European cities under the influence of globalisation and on fields of urban strategic planning.

Objectives of the course include:

The course is intended to be an interdisciplinary and interactive learning event for younger faculty members teaching at universities, from institutions of adult-education or research and for practitioners with an academic background from government to grass-root level. Whereas the ‘European City’ is in the focus, participants from non-European CIS countries are also encouraged to apply. As planning and development theory and governance are in the focus, a wide range of professional knowledge and practice would be an appropriate basis for participation: i.e. sociologists, planners, administrators, architects as well as transfer oriented media producers and community developers. Priority will be given to participants who are willing to demonstrate their own ‘home’-experience in analysis, research or practice. Building on the knowledge and skills of the participants, the course will be analytically demanding and advanced in terms of its comprehensiveness.

Module one, ‘The European city’: Theoretical debates about dissolution or/and re-emergence. What is the meaning of ‘urban’ in the European type of cities? Cities and citizenship: the changes in the practical role and the theoretical importance of cities for social development, the effect on urban governance, urban life and urban society. A comparative look at the development of urban policies in post-socialist central European cities. East-west contrasts, the empirical data about spatial polarization, segregation and the new market developments (housing market and urban rehabilitation, office and commercial real estate investments, new technologies).

Module two, Globalisation and the city: How does globalisation change the economic, social and the cultural perspectives of the cities and how does it influence their potentials for action? Are the cities losing their potential to change their fates or are they, on the contrary, given new opportunities in a global-local context?

Module three, Urban transformation concepts: What are the perspectives and what are the methodologies of influencing change on the socio-spatial levels of neighbourhood, district, city, the urban region and network-cities? How are the cities and urban actors planning and developing through sectoral or/and integral planning and what is the relation of traditional planning to the emerging informal ways of influencing development through public-private-partnerships and mediation? What are the appropriate means of planning and development for different type of cities, especially in a post-communist context? In this context, new roles for city planning and for planners, managers, administrators and mediators will be debated.

Module four, Urban governance in practice: The Budapest case – the innovative approach of the new strategic development concept and of the urban rehabilitation programmes will be contrasted with the resource-persons’ and the students’ experience. The aim is to show and debate the relations between theory and practice, research and politics.

Even though some ‘frontal’-teaching of primary inputs will be necessary, integrating the students in discussions and student presentations will be a major part of the methodology. The course will make an extensive use of the fact that it takes place in Budapest, one of the most rapidly changing metropolises of central Europe. Field-encounters and panel debates between academics and practitioners about ‘best practices’ will be part of the course as well as panel debates about urban theory. The students will find the opportunity to present local cases from their own environment and to re-assess these strategies in a workshop situation. A discussion about innovative teaching methods for urban development professions will also take place.