Christian Schmid is geographer, sociologist and urban researcher. Since 2001, he has been a lecturer in Sociology at the Faculty of Architecture of ETH Zurich. Since 2009 he has been Titular Professor at the Faculty of Architecture of ETH Zurich. The Lectureship of Sociology functions as an independent teaching body of the Faculty of Architecture (D-ARCH) of the ETH Zurich.
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.
