The document discusses the concept of urbanism and introduces a mind mapping exercise aimed at exploring different logics of inquiry related to the built environment. It emphasizes the importance of varied perspectives in urbanism education and the necessity of critical thinking, vocabulary building, and structured communication. The mind maps serve as tools for visualizing relationships and facilitating deeper discussions among students from diverse educational backgrounds.

1. Mind maps Urbanist
Prepared by Roberto Rocco and Egbert Stolk
Deparment of Urbanism, TU Delft
Challenge(the(future

2. mind mapping urbanist
at the very beginning of the course ar2u090
methodology for urbanism, we discuss different
conceptions of what ‘urbanism’ might be.
our students come from all over the world, and
have been educated in different traditions of
planning and design of the built environment.
we must find commonalities and clarify
differences.

3. mind mapping urbanist
we do not offer a ‘definite’ definition of
urbanism. After all, the discipline is in
constant evolution, what with new
knowledge being permanently incorporated
to it, new challenges arising in a globalized
and increasingly urban world and new
arising technologies that help us find new
questions to ask.

4. mind mapping urbanist
rather, we propose a model where
‘urbanism’ is composed by different
logics of enquiry that concur to
form a wide field of knowledge on
the built environment and its
interrelationships with society.

5. AR2U090 Methodology for Urbanism
*Logics of Enquiry
In this exercise, you will need to ‘locate’ yourself inthe hypothetical triangle that composes URBANISM
at TU Delft. According to your previous education and aspirations for the future, where would you be?
Mark a cross inside the triangle and write your name and country of origin near that cross. Would you
add another element to this geometrical form? Is it a polygon? A square? What other categories would
you add, if any? Urbanism?
Design
Human
Sciences
Physical
Sciences

6. urbanism
this variety of perspectives can be
seen in the organogram of the
department of urbanism of the TUDelf.
Each chair represents a research team
which upholds a different combination
of the areas of knowledge represented
in the triangle.

7. urbanism
this variety of perspectives can be
seen in the organogram of the
department of urbanism of the TU Delf.
Each chair represents a research team
which upholds a different combination
of the areas of knowledge represented
in the triangle.

8. OTB
Chair:
Urban an Regional
Development
Prof. Wil Zonneveld
OTB
Chair:
Neighbourhood Change
and Housing
Prof. Maarten van Ham
Chair:
Cultural History & Design
Prof. Eric Luiten
Chair:
Environmental Technology
Prof. Arjan van Timmeren
Section: Spatial Planning & Strategy
Chair:
Spatial Planning & Strategy
Prof. Vincent Nadin Chair:
URBANISM @ TU DELFT
Chair:
Landscape Architecture
Prof. Dirk Sijmons
Chair:
Urban Design
Prof. Henco Bekkering
Chair:
Theory & Methods
Prof. Han Meyer
Chair:
The Why Factory
Prof. Winy Maas
Design & Politics
Prof. Wouter Vanstiphout
Section: Urban Design
Section: Urban Landscape
Organisational Tree of the Department of Urbanism, TU Delft, jan 2013 by Roberto Rocco

9. urbanism
in order to discuss essential
aspects of urbanism and the
urbanist, we draw mind maps.

10. What’s a mind map?
A mind map is a graphic representation of a
brain storm. Around a central concept,
participants must draw connected ideas
organically, unfolding them as much as
possible.
It is a tool for structured yet creative
communication and discussion among
participants.

11. relationships graphically
represented
However, different from a brain storm,
mind mapping offers the possibility to
structure thought graphically and
unfold concepts and ideas as much as
possible. Because ideas are graphically
represented, they can be discussed
more thoroughly.

12. The ‘secret’ of mind
mapping
the ‘secret’ of mind mapping consists of the
relationships constructed between concepts
and ideas being unfolded and ‘spelled out’
explicitly.
Drawing these relationships like the
branches of a tree helps us visualize the
organic relationship they have with each
other.

13. Networks of
concepts
but ideas and concepts are not
like the branches of a tree. they
are arranged in networks of
relationships. mind maps could
look like more like spiderwebs.

14. relationship image
and text
drawing icons and avatars helps
construct a better relationship
between visual perception and
intellectual understanding.
images reinforce and complement
text and vice-versa.

15. an exercise of
vocabulary building
one of the functions of mind
mapping is to help students build
up vocabulary to talk about ideas
and concepts in english (the
language of education at master
level at tudelft).

16. in this particular mind
mapping exercise, we discuss:
• Skills
• Values
• Qualities
• Tools and
• Knowledge
necessary to be a good “urbanist”

18. Values

20. Justice
Social Justice is
central to
Urbanism

21. Courage?

22. Courage

23. Love!

25. A free, unbiased mind

28. Knowledge

29. Knowledge

31. Critical thinking
is an essential
part of higher
education

34. Knowledge
is useless
without
critical
REFLECTION

40. Qualities

46. Skills

48. we think
that
drawing is a
very
important
tool for
communicati
on in our
domain

52. Tools

56. Thanks for watching.
For more information please write
to r.c.rocco@tudelft.nl