Five defining features of MA City Design at the RCA

MA City Design envisions new concepts of city and urban life through design speculation and social innovation. Read on to discover five of its defining features as outlined by Head of Programme Godofredo Pereira and Studio Lead Dima Srouji.

The City Design programme organises student research and projects around site-specific questions within cities. Each year each design studio units focus on a unique case study, addressing challenges with regard to paradigmatic forms of urban transformation and urban struggle. These case studies involve collaboration with communities, NGOs, policy makers and community groups on the ground.

Tackling city design issues requires different types of backgrounds from design to the humanities. The programme couldn’t exist without this diversity of backgrounds, expertise and lived experiences. It is designed specifically so that students learn how to collaborate and work with people from different backgrounds or disciplines – a vital and transferable skill for work beyond graduation.

At the RCA students have access to an incomparable wealth of workshops, technical tutors and facilities that allow them to experiment in ways that are hard to find elsewhere. The programme is reimagining what a city design project can be – outcomes might range from a film, to a book, or a game. This approach is supported by guest lectures from diverse practitioners including archaeologists, anthropologists, artists and filmmakers.

Being based in London is an important part of the studio experience. City Design is committed to this city, not just the global case studies they work on. To celebrate London the programme visits different archives like the Palestine Exploration Fund, institutions like the British Museum and the V&A, and galleries like The Mosaic Rooms.

City Design students are committed to their work and projects. Through the programme they find creative solutions for their own practice; they do not necessarily graduate with just the aim of working for an architectural firm, but also create their own platforms for thinking about city design in new ways.