Research project Planning Culture Education
Knowledge gap and relevance
Education in building culture has long been understood as an important prerequisite for the participation and involvement of citizens in the design of our built environment. In the meantime, a nationwide basis of educational offers has been established through the initiating, supporting and networking activities, primarily of foundations. To date, the focus of these educational programs has been on teaching skills such as spatial and programmatic imagination, the interpretation of architecture and space, form and color.
The teaching of process knowledge, however, i.e. the basic knowledge of the German planning system with its actors, instruments, responsibilities and decision-making competencies, is hardly addressed. This gap in the educational landscape is the reason for this project, because in everyday participation practice it is precisely the lack of understanding of municipal planning processes that proves problematic. In particular, the clarification of the participation framework and of the roles of the actors ties up time resources that are lacking in the content-related work. And it can be assumed that there is a connection between disappointed expectations of the effectiveness of the commitment brought in and of the participation results and the lack of process knowledge.
Knowledge content
The project is intended - as a supplement to building culture education - to prepare planning culture education with its relevant content and to convey it in a way that is suitable for young people.
In doing so, the following areas of knowledge will be brought into focus:
Basics of the German planning system
Actors and instruments of urban development, planning sovereignty of municipalities, etc.
›Who plans how and with whom? What plans are there? Who decides what?‹
Knowledge of democratic theory
especially legitimation of planning decisions
›What happens to the ideas I have contributed? Why is a wish I expressed in a participation process not implemented?‹
Understanding roles in urban development
especially of the planning professions and civil society
›What do female planners know? What do citizens know? Are planners communicators, advocates for citizens, or proponents of their own ideas? How influential are process participants from city government?‹
Goals
The project is also intended to contribute to sharpening the role images of planners in the context of participation processes and to convey how ideas (of young people) are translated into planning principles. This process knowledge appears to be extremely important, since it can be assumed that it is the basis for successful participation processes.
Development
In order to create an authentic offer for young people, the project is being developed in an interdisciplinary and iterative way: Experts from the fields of pedagogy, game design, communication design and user experience design, from youth social work institutions and, above all, young people form an advisory group that advises and critically accompanies the project team in its work and conception. The role of the young people is emphasized, because they are not only to test and advise, but to actively participate in the development and production of the portal.
Period
Since January 2022
Project Team
Aida Nejad (Studio Malta)
Isabelle Willnauer
Consulting
Prof. Christina Simon-Philipp
Verena Loidl
Cooperation partner and sponsor
Wüstenrot Stiftung
Illustration
Studio Malta, Cristina Estanislao
Links
→ Project Website