290613 SE+EX Transdisciplinary Urban Practices: Part I (2026S)

This course combines a seminar and field trip and focuses on the roles of Urban Labs for co-producing knowledge to tackle persistent and urgent urban challenges. By Urban Labs we broadly refer to curated physical and/or social spaces of encounter that allow for transdisciplinary, and oftentimes experimental, research.

The course provides students with an overview of different conceptual and institutional approaches to Urban Labs in the context of urban (un)sustainability. Learning from the city of Belgrade, the course seeks to investigate spaces of knowledge co-production that transgress the boundaries of academia. We will pay particular attention to initiatives that question and re-frame who produces and shares urban knowledge, where, when, how and to what end – and the roles Urban Labs can play therein.

During the course, participants will work in thematic groups to design and implement a time slot during the field trip. Depending on the interests of the group as well as thematic suitability and relevance, participants are encouraged to creatively apply a range of field trip methods as well as to engage practically with local initiatives.

This course is part of the teaching activities of the Urban Sustainability Living Lab. For more information, see https://urbanlab.univie.ac.at/en/