The Middle East is home to some of today's most dynamic urban conglomerations, some of which may provide models for development in other areas of the world.

Regardless of their age, the ancient city of Istanbul, the medieval city of Baghdad, the modern city of Tel Aviv, or the contemporary city of Dubai, all address issues of the twenty first century (e.g. burgeoning populations, the environmental impact of rapid urbanization, and post-disaster reconstruction, both natural and man-made), with varying degrees of success. We will examine these issues by looking at both cultural context and physical form. Students will be encouraged to look at large scale, regional effects of urbanization as well as smaller interventions within a given neighborhood, and to search for the interrelation between the two scales. The course will examine several of the region¿s significant cities in a case study model. Students will present to their peers their research findings for a given city and will prepare work that will culminate in a final project that represents a synthesis of their research. It is expected that students will respond in both writing and drawing, utilizing information design as a means of expressing their findings.