Abstract
ABSTRACTThis paper explores possible ways in which urban design can engage with critical thinking and critical theory. After a brief explanation of the terms, with particular attention to the Frankfurt School of thought, it provides various answers to the question as to whether urban design is critical or not. One categorization applied to planning critical theory is then used to explain the potential for employing critical theories in urban design. Critical thinking skills are then argued to be helpful for enriching the literature of urban design in order to achieve better practice. The conclusion is that urban design can benefit from critical creativity, which is an embodiment of critical thinking within the limits imposed onto creativity. In this paper, the ways in which urban design can engage with both critical theory and with critical thinking are explored in order to achieve better critical creativity in the field.
Highlights
What does critical thinking mean in urban design? Does urban design enable such thinking? How can designers and academics apply critical theories and critical skills in solving urban problems? What are the key schools of critical theory and how they can help urban design? Despite the fact that critical thinking has been widely identified as a key requirement for professionals the aforementioned questions have not been discussed adequately within urban design literature
The argument is presented in three parts; after clarifying the theoretical definitions, part one hypothetically explores the relationship between urban design and critical theories; part two investigates the school of critical theory for urban design; and part three offers a set of critical thinking skills for urban design
The application of critical thinking in general and critical theories in particular would be beneficial for urban designers by putting critical thinking at the heart of design
Summary
This paper explores possible ways in which urban design can engage with critical thinking and critical theory. One categorisation applied to planning critical theory is used to explain the potential for employing critical theories in urban design. Critical thinking skills are argued to be helpful for enriching the literature of urban design in order to achieve better practice. The conclusion is that urban design can benefit from critical creativity, that is an embodiment of critical thinking within the limits imposed onto creativity. The ways in which urban design can engage with both critical theory and with critical thinking are explored in order to achieve better critical creativity in the field.
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