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University of the Witwatersrand

What do Architects and Urban Planners do?

University of the Witwatersrand via edX

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Overview

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Are you interested in studying architecture or urban planning?

This course will help you understand what spatial design professionals really do, so you can decide if this is the right profession for you.

First, we’ll learn about the built environment, and the kinds of challenges and opportunities that architects and planners grapple with.

Then we’ll discuss five short examples based on real projects. In each example, we will focus on the role played by different spatial design professionals, including urban planners, urban designers, landscape architects, architects and interior architects.

You’ll gain a good understanding of what each spatial design profession does, so you can make an informed choice about what to study.

The course will also be useful for anyone who needs to interact with spatial design professionals, and would like an insight into their different roles.

Taught by

Ariane Janse van Rensburg, Mawabo Msingaphantsi, Ludwig Hansen, Johan Prinsloo, Muhammad Dawjee, Sechaba Maape, Zakkiya Khan, Nico Botes and Siegfriedt Schmidt

Reviews

4.4 rating, based on 8 Class Central reviews

Start your review of What do Architects and Urban Planners do?

  • Anonymous
    ENG Excellent course, with a general and timely overview of the various specialties involved in each area, roles, objectives, scales and factors involved in each profession and specialty, as well as specific examples of success stories and various p…
  • Anonymous
    I really struggled to enjoy this course. I have been interested in architecture and interior architecture for a long time and I wanted to take this class to feel out the fields so to speak. I was bored out of my mind. I usually had to watch the videos slowed down because the videos either didn't have transcripts or the transcripts were incorrect and the teacher had a thick accent and was referencing proper nouns/place names. I found the course to be very dry and the video quality to be lacking. I would be interested in auditing a new version of this course but I don't see any reason to pay for the certification.
  • Anonymous
    It is a very informative course, it has videos that explain every subject and activities that help you review. Every chapter is well explained and it is not too long. I recommend this course for people who are not clear on what to specialize in the area of design. It offers a lot of real-life examples and plenty of study material to go at your own pace. It also offers you the opportunity to connect with the other students in the same course through chats or written shared spaces. It is a good option to have a general idea about different design fields.
  • Anonymous
    I enjoyed this course a lot. Learned a lot new things. The activities were nice, and love how they have adapted them so people can still do then during lockdown. The time given was perfect I thought I would take longer to do it when I saw how much content there was, but did it under the three weeks. The videos are a nice length not to long not to short. Loved it!
  • Anonymous
    I really enjoyed the course as an initial look into these careers. I am from the United States so I appreciated the national diversity of the teachers and seeing the point of view from another country. I very much enjoyed the professors. I felt that the information was given in a way where it was easy to understand, interesting and easy to retain.
  • Profile image for Maria Luisa
    Maria Luisa
    I really enjoy this opportunity. It is a very interesting experience, I still watching the classes. I'm 17 years old and wish to be an architect in the future! The only issue I have is the language. I'm from Bahia, Brasil and love exploring new things! Thank you.
  • Profile image for Isabel Lopes
    Isabel Lopes
    Easy to follow and understand the overall work of these professionals and whether any of these jobs would be a good fit for you, a great place to start!
  • Profile image for Kareem Ayman
    Kareem Ayman
    A helpful course with a lot of detailed information about architecture and it's sectors. The course is helpful specially for beginner architects.

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