Transforming planning education: Practicing Collaborative Governance and Experiential Learning in a Graduate Level Planning Studio

Abstract

This study attempts to close the gap between western planning studio education and its Turkish counterpart through a critical review of planning models and teaching methods they employ, focusing on an examination of a recent graduate-level studio experience from Istanbul Technical University. The case studio explored the application of the planning paradigm of collaborative planning and governance and experiential teaching methods in approaching the decades-old regeneration problems of an informal housing area in a dense neighborhood in central Istanbul. Through structured instructor observation and a student survey, the empirical research investigates the extent to which the master-level students have or have not benefitted from select contemporary planning and teaching approaches, and derives lessons for improving the instruction and experience of this and other planning studios in Turkey and beyond. The findings suggest that a collaboration- and governance-focused planning approach allowed the students to better keep up with and reflect on recent literature and debates. They took part in collaboration not only on site with different public, private and civil stakeholder groups but also with each other through close interactions between and within student groups both inside and outside the studio. The experiential learning methods employed, on the other hand, helped the planning studio live up to the corresponding principles of contemporary global studio education.