Prof. Dr. Christian Schmid | Sociology
Lectureship Sociology
The Chair of Sociology explores the connection between the built environment and social development. It establishes an analytical and empirical basis for teaching and research and provides a wide range of expertise in urban and spatial theory as well as a broad palette of social science methods. Its theoretical and methodological approach is transdisciplinary and praxis oriented, and geared toward the requirements specific to architecture and urban design.
The sociology courses are designed to instill students with an understanding of architecture and urban design within the broader social context, while also familiarizing them with social science methods. They accompany both the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in architecture as well as several Masters of Advanced Studies (MAS).
The chair’s main research focus lies in the transdisciplinary exploration of urbanization processes in comparative perspective. Studies are currently being conducted on the metropolitan regions of Zurich and Havana. A comparative urban studies project is being carried out in the framework of the Future Cities Laboratory in Singapore on urbanization processes in Tokyo, the Pearl River Delta, Singapore, Kolkata, Lagos, Istanbul, Paris, Mexico City, and Los Angeles.
Henri Lefebvre
Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space is one of the most important contemporary contributions to the analysis of urbanization and socio-spatial processes. It is of special importance for the transdisciplinary
Planetary Urbanization
More than four decades ago, Henri Lefebvre proposed the radical hypothesis of the complete urbanization of society, demanding a shift in analysis from urban form to urbanization process. Today, the urban represents
Urbanization in a Comparative Perspective
The last two decades have seen a sharp increase in the speed, scale, and scope of urbanization that has fundamentally changed the character of the urban areas. Transcending various physical borders, political
Havana
SeDUT, a Swiss-Cuban cooperative research project on urban development in Havana, was conducted from 2004 - 2007. The Chair of Sociology at the Department of Architecture from the ETH Zurich joined forces
Comparing Urbanization in Johannesburg and Maputo
The two cities of Johannesburg and Maputo are geographically close to one another in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although they have distinct histories and features, they also share some similarities that should yield rich