IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

Many have observed that current urban design is largely subservient to the interests and ideologies of capital. Although these claims may seem overly generalized, ignoring the diverse ways urban design gets enacted outside the market system, there is no doubt that the majority of urban design is performed under the norms of capitalism. To counter this trend, a major shift is needed in the teaching of urban design. From the pedagogical perspective, the first change would be recentering the urban designer from an expert in the built environment disciplines largely concerned with the aesthetics of form and space to one who is knowledgeable about the complexities of cities (political, social and economic). In this scenario, the primary purpose for urban design is not limited to the aesthetic but focused on broader goals such as equity & spatial justice through empowerment and well-being of all communities, social cohesion in the context of demographic shifts, equitable economic development, public health, biodiversity and climate adaptation, to mention a few. This paper proposes an ideology for urban design that is politically clear such that is does not get distorted by capital for its own gains. Because it constitutes social processes, as an actionable field we should teach urban design (aside from a physical design discipline) not only as a social science but an applied social science. Urban design would be taught as a discipline that is purpose-driven, and more broadly relevant to the crises facing societies. In the ideology proposed here, the urban designer would focus on delivering processes that distribute control and agency, seek out participatory processes for making, welcome incompleteness, ambiguity, diversity and complexity, and embrace adaptability and flexibility to achieve the abovementioned social, political and/or economic goals.