Teaching and learning urbanism in architecture schools

Abstract

How are approaches and tools changing to deal with critical territorial challenges, particularly risks associated with climate change, the spatial dimension of the economy and the networked metropolitan region? Are urbanists equipped to lead solutions to our society's challenges to sustainability? Learning is a puzzling act, and the learning of a discipline like Urbanism is a particular one. This is because of the interdisciplinarity that this field requires in actual society. In many Schools of Architecture, it is find the nostalgia of the urbanist locked in a knowledge and skills that hardly seems to be practical versus the panorama of uncertainties and new possibilities in which we live. Therefore, it is appropriate to face how the urbanist education is responding to the constant changes and challenges. Studying the current educational processes involves the theoretical contextualization of the educational act, the educational discourses and a revision of the evolution of its structure. This research focus first, on a historical journey to discern its evolution, to know what was the main necessity and the competences needed for the practice. Second, a comparative study is made of different study plans to overview of how Urbanism is taught in different regions, the approaches and structure. Third, it is concluded which are the gaps, difficulties and opportunities. The relevance of this study is the redefinition of the studies of Urbanism in relation to the demands of society, the environment and the progress of pertinent situations.