290291 VO Introduction to Urban Geography (2008S)

German-speaking geography has a long and rich tradition of urban research. Today, a number of paradigmatic appraches are followed up simultaneously. Starting with an introduction into basic definitions and concepts of urban research, the main part of the lecture is devoted to some seven paradigms that inform urban geographers today. A number of these approaches are shared with other social sciences, others have remained the domain of geographers - such as the morphogenetic approach, tackling the built environment, or the inter-cultural comparison of urban development. More recent approaches are definitely more interdisciplinary (and international), such as the institutional approach or "urban cultural geography". Here, the focus is on human activities themselves, rather then the physical traces human activity has left within cities. - These contents are presented in form of a classical lecture, supported by more than 300 Powerpoint slides and an external website (http://akademie.punkt.at).