Framing the values of teaching urban design in planning education


Peker E.

PLANEXT - NEXT GENERATION PLANNING, vol.15, pp.1-11, 2025 (Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 15
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.24306/plnxt/107
  • Journal Name: PLANEXT - NEXT GENERATION PLANNING
  • Journal Indexes: Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Page Numbers: pp.1-11
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This article explores the pedagogical value of urban design within planning education, framing it as a distinct mode of inquiry that strengthens spatial, analytical, ethical, and collaborative competencies. Drawing on a review of the literature and insights from teaching practice, it identifies six core contributions: (i) experiencing space through studio-based learning, (ii) enhancing spatial reasoning, (iii) fostering critical reflection, (iv) learning through co-production, (v) engaging with public needs and institutional structures, and (vi) developing sensitivity to both local contexts and global challenges. These values demonstrate how urban design supports students in analysing, interpreting, and (re)shaping the built environment. Rather than occupying a peripheral or elective role, urban design serves as a foundational element in planning education, one that reintegrates design as a form of knowledge production.