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In order to know how to change one must be able to acknowledge what one does not know. Central to knowledge production of relevance is humility and an understanding of the realities of one's own environment. From a decolonial perspective, knowledge production is affected by the development and creation of the actual physical spaces of the university and its pedagogy. The Covid_19 pandemic has tested the functionality of the physical space of the university as well as the organization of the city space. This paper considers these issues, their impact and effect on the mental well-being of both academics and students by exploring the idea of the university as a virtuous city. We draw on Al-Farabi's treatise of the Virtuous City because physical and conceptual architectures reflect a way in which the world is structured. In South Africa, the violent design of the fragmented spaces has been planned according to the colonial, cartographic imagination which destroys and distorts memory and ruptures tradition. The architecture of the cities and universities, it can be argued, effect a similar process, and serve as an affirmation of the pre-dominance of the white-supremacist power structure in South Africa. Cities are created by people and each city is a creation of the interaction of social, economic, cultural, and political imperatives. The university is a micro-manifestation of the cosmopolitan city that adopts different approaches to knowledge, decolonisation and transformation. In re-imaging and reconstituting the westernised South African university an appropriate approach to reaching the ideals of well-being and harmony would require the shedding of the ego and the Cartesian 'I'. The process of decolonising the university should occur by deconstructing and recognising colonial methods, theories and practise in our pedagogy and spaces in order to begin the process of reconstruction. Keywords: Decoloniality, intellectualism, neo-liberalism, humility, academic activism, pedagogy, politics, mental illness, fear and well-being, 'A multitude of people and yet a solitude.' -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 1. Introduction Critically engaging the traditions, ethics and architecture of other cultures is an invigorating [...]

The last couple of years have witnessed a growing debate about online learning in higher education, notably in response to the global massive open online course (MOOC) phenomenon. This paper explores these developments from an institutional policy perspective, drawing on an analysis of the initial stages of different approaches to MOOCs and e-learning being taken up at three Australian universities. It points to four commonalities emerging from the institutional constructions of these initiatives including (1) the use of e-learning policy as a vehicle for curriculum redesign; (2) an emphasis on internal curriculum redesign as a core rationale for MOOCs; (3) a desire to capitalise on promotional opportunities but a reticence around wholly embracing the concept and structure of MOOCs and (4) the absence of access-driven concerns in university policy despite the prominence of such concerns in broader public debate. The approach is framed by a consideration of change dynamics in higher education and highlights the emphasis on internal university work within the policy narrative, suggesting this could represent an attempt to reframe the debate about MOOCs away from popular arguments about systemic disruption and instead use them to progress forms of change that align to broader strategic objectives. Keywords Massive open online courses (MOOCs) * Institutional policy * Higher education curriculum * Change dynamics, Introduction Over the last couple of years, debate about online learning in higher education has intensified, notably in response to the global massive open online course (MOOC) phenomenon. MOOCs, as [...]

This article discusses urban planning and space layout at Moscow University during the eighteenth century. The author asserts that the spatial design of the university both reflected and determined the social and cultural interaction and activities of students, professors, and the surrounding population.

Bearing the name of Marcel Minnaert, a renowned Dutch astrophysicist, the Minnaert building houses facilities for Utrecht University's geophysics department. It also forms an important constituent of OMA's masterplan for [...]

The article describes the author's experience of designing the Mahindra United World College of India for 200 residential students, 25 faculty and 30 support staff. The goal of integrating Western and Eastern value systems and the need to impart a value-based education grounded in constructive humanism are discussed.

This sleek new faculty building in Barcelona is an imaginative response to an awkward site in the city's labyrinthine medieval core. Since the 1970s, the labyrinthine paseos and buildings of [...]

A humanely inventive new block of student residences for Oxford's Keble College shows what can be achieved with a normally redutivist and uninspring building type. Keble College is an enduring [...]

One of the last designs on which James Stirling worked with Michael Wilford shows mastery of place-making and urban design which humanises an otherwise anonymous campus and offers divers internal [...]

University campuses are often dispersed geographical sites requiring some form of integration, especially the newly-created universities. Single-sited buildings can be planned and managed so as to overcome the majority of difficulties with space utilisation, although a pleasant environment remains a major consideration for students when selecting a preferred university. University buildings and architectural designs are examined, including their inherent environmental aspects.