Rome undergraduate planning workshop: A reflexive approach to neighborhood studies

Abstract

This workshop attempts to bridge the gap between theory and practice by using a reflexive pedagogical approach. The workshop takes undergraduate American urban studies students and assists them through a structured progression of pedagogical exercises critical to an understanding of place and urban processes. The pedagogy draws from theories of reflexive and experiential learning from Argysis and Schön, Kolb and Lynch, to help students overcome challenges to learning in an unfamiliar cultural/linguistic environment. This reflexive approach emphasizes the importance of structuring exercises combining experiential learning, observation, coding and reflection to help students develop a practically-oriented understanding of the role of planning in a complex urban environment.