Speakers
Description
In an era of increasing environmental volatility, socio-economic disparities, and demographic shifts, planning education, research, and knowledge transfer have become essential components of a robust response to contemporary urban and regional challenges. Traditional planning curricula often emphasize specialized technical skills in isolation from the interconnected realities of climate change, migration, food insecurity, and uneven development. However, the urgency of current crises reveals the need for more holistic educational models that prepare future professionals to navigate these complex terrains through interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative pedagogies, and engagement with diverse stakeholders.
This contribution explores how European university networks—exemplified by alliances such as PIONEER, oriented toward SDG 11—are transforming planning education through transdisciplinary approaches. Rather than focusing solely on disciplinary silos, these alliances foster integrative competencies that blend urban policy, environmental science, design thinking, and social engagement (Butler et al., 2012). By doing so, they respond more effectively to rising urban vulnerabilities, whether related to climate adaptation or socio-economic inequality. These initiatives build on impact-driven collaborations identified by Harrison et al. (2016) and Maassen et al. (2023), which highlight the growing relevance of transregional alliances in shaping new institutional geographies of higher education.
A core feature of this evolving landscape is the emphasis on reflective and challenge-based learning, where real-world scenarios become living laboratories for pedagogy and research (Adamson et al., 2018). Students and faculty work alongside policy-makers, local communities, and industry actors to co-produce knowledge, translating academic expertise into context-specific solutions. Such collaborative engagements anchor educational experiences in tangible issues—such as extreme weather events, forced displacement, or public health crises—while reinforcing the socio-political skills needed to facilitate inclusive and equitable urban transformations (Adger, 2003; Baker et al., 2012). By embedding Schön’s (1987) concept of reflective practice into the curriculum, these alliances encourage critical thinking, adaptability, and a willingness to challenge established paradigms.
Knowledge transfer mechanisms play a pivotal role in this process. Liaison offices—for instance, those based in Brussels—help universities secure competitive funding and align their programs with broader European policy directives (European Commission, 2021). They also serve as critical bridges between academic institutions and transnational governance arenas, facilitating dialogues around pressing urban issues. Through such offices, alliances can pursue strategic partnerships, tapping into the Recovery and Resilience Facility (Next Generation EU, 2021) and other instruments that enable cross-border research consortia and project-based learning. These networks thus ensure that educational innovations remain financially viable and policy-relevant, while advancing a culture of scholarly collaboration and pragmatic problem-solving.
By integrating planning education, rigorous research, and strategic knowledge transfer, universities are laying a new foundation for addressing complex urban challenges. This synergy strengthens the academic core of planning programs and broadens their social impact, ensuring that graduates gain not only theoretical acumen but also practical, adaptive skills. The resultant epistemological shift departs from traditional lecture-based instruction and moves toward a model where co-production of knowledge, cultural awareness, and stakeholder engagement form the bedrock of the learning experience (Schön, 1987; Webster, 2008). From this perspective, the experience of alliances like PIONEER demonstrates that planning education, when informed by diverse perspectives and grounded in real-world challenges, can both respond to and actively shape more sustainable, equitable, and resilient urban futures.
References
Adamson et al. (2018). Re-thinking the present: The role of a historical focus in climate change adaptation research. Global Environmental Change, 48, pp.195–205.
Adger, W.N. (2003). Social capital, collective action, and adaptation to climate change. Economic Geography, 79(4), pp.387–404.
Baker et al. (2012). Local government response to the impacts of climate change: An evaluation of local climate adaptation plans. Landscape and Urban Planning, 107(2), pp.127–136.
Butler et al. (2012). Professions at the margins. Ephemera: Theory & Politics in Organization, 12, pp.259–272.
European Commission. (2021). Horizon Europe – The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. [Online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe-next-research-and-innovation-framework-programme_en
Harrison et al. (2016). New institutional geographies of higher education: The rise of transregional university alliances. Environment and Planning A, 48(5), pp.910–936.
Maassen et al. (2023). The European university alliances—an examination of organizational potentials and perils. Higher Education, 86, pp.953–968.
Next Generation EU. (2021). Recovery and Resilience Facility. [Online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/next-generation-eu-recovery-and-resilience-facility_en
Schön, D.A. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Webster, H. (2008). Architectural Education after Schön: Cracks, blurs, boundaries and beyond. Journal for Education in the Built Environment, 3(2), pp.63–74.
| Keywords | University Alliances; Transdisciplinarity; Planning Education; Challenge-Based Learning; Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
