Pedagogy and Practice: Innovating for the New Urban Agenda

We invite teachers, learners, researchers, practitioners, NGOs and grass roots activists to join us in a conversation on participatory and collaborative approaches to design and planning education and practice that support the implementation of the NUA -- and the SDGs.

To start the conversation, presenters will share their approaches to urban pedagogy. In diverse ways these initiatives demonstrate inclusivity. For example, incorporation of local knowledge, putting people at the center of development, fostering of civic engagement - and the creation of co-learning environments. We want to ask participants how they make on –going collaborations, and sustainable, inclusive and equitable design and planning outcomes. And what are the difficulties.
To get the conversation going, four short presentations will cover: Water urbanism in India and Brazil, 2016 (GSAPP, Columbia University); Community led sanitation upgrades in Johannesburg 2007- present (Global Studio, Sticky Situations, Healthabitat); Democratizing access to Nairobi’s public transit, 2010- present (CSUD, MIT, University of Nairobi & Digital Matatus); Disseminating principles for inclusion in 10 countries, 18 cities- 2013-15 (CSUD and Global Studio)
Successes and challenges will be shared, as will case by case methodologies that demonstrate inclusivity and proposals for generalizing and up scaling. To conclude, we will engage all participants in discussion of a draft document, “Pedagogical principles in support of the NUA and SDGs”. The aim is to align principles and methods participants have shared with NUA social, spatial, design and planning objectives. Our hope is to collectively begin to articulate a ‘pedagogy to practice ‘NUA roadmap, and to launch an “Urban Change Makers Resource Network’.