Speaker
Description
Planning education as a field characterised by epistemological diversity integrates disciplines such as social sciences, engineering, architecture and natural sciences. However, in regions without dedicated planning schools—such as universities in Central America—planning is often taught as a module within undergraduate or postgraduate programs in engineering or architecture. Consequently, planning departments in public institutions and local governments, such as those in Costa Rica, are often led by architects or engineers who lack formal training in planning; although urban design is a subject learned by architects, design-related skills are not necessarily the main focus of engineering programs. This situation raises two critical questions: How can planning be effectively taught without dedicated planning schools? Moreover, how can design concepts be tailored to students with diverse educational backgrounds?
This paper briefly overviews universities' programmes offering modules of planning and urban design in Central America. Using an example from the University of Costa Rica, it examines teaching techniques applied in a planning module offered to students from the Surveying Engineering School between July and December 2024; they aimed to introduce basic design concepts and planning principles. This work takes on the challenge of teaching basic design concepts so that, if these students oversee planning offices in the future, they can collaborate effectively with design professionals. The teaching strategies employed included a mix of digital and in-person gamification, field trips and role-playing exercises based on case studies. Classroom assessment techniques were used to evaluate the effectiveness of these methods in helping students achieve learning objectives. The findings suggest that students preferred field trips over other teaching methods to understand basic design concepts. Digital gamification was also highly successful, especially when students were involved in the game's design and shared it with their peers. Finally, the article reflects on the broader challenges of teaching planning when it is not the central focus of a degree program. It highlights the urgent need for deeper reflection and innovation in planning education to address the pressing urban challenges faced by Central American cities.
| Keywords | Central America; urban design; teaching strategies; planning programmes |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
