International Fieldtrip

Course goals

In this course the key objectives are:

• Foster analytical skills and experiential learning in the context of urban planning
• Enhance students’ creative and organizational skills
• Cultivate peer-to-peer networks centered around thesis interests

Intended Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, students are able to
 

• Apply foundational concepts from spatial planning to analyze urban development in an international context
• Evaluate spatial interventions in an international context
• Organize a student-led seminar [pre-departure] and walk-through [during the fieldtrip] on a planning dilemma relevant to the fieldtrip destination and collect relevant sources and material to this end.

Content

Field trips offer a distinct and valuable learning approach within urban planning and geography, complementing classroom-based theoretical study with essential experiential and contextual dimensions (Manner 1995; Hurd 1997; Kent, Gilbertson, and Hunt 1997; Butler and Wilkerson 2000; Hefferan, Heywood, and Ritter 2002). They provide a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and empirical reality.

You will directly observe the built environment and material infrastructures, understanding them as tangible outcomes of urban processes and spatial visions. Moreover, these trips facilitate engagement and communication with diverse planning stakeholders in the field. Through this you gain a deeper grasp of  planning dilemmas through multiple viewpoints and normative criteria.

This course specifically emphasizes active participation over passive observation, fostering student-led investigation and collaborative learning. By (partially) designing and leading your own seminars and field activities, you take direct ownership of both the subject matter and your learning process.

Upon starting the course, students will have already completed courses on Planning for Sustainable Cities and a selection of thematic electives. This means students will have a shared conceptual and theoretical base, but also will have begun to branch out in different specializations and expertise. The field trip enables students to identify socio-spatial patterns and planning concepts in European cities applying basic concepts from urban and regional planning acquired in previous courses to new contexts. By completing this modules students will be able to interpret such concepts in new socio-political, economic and legal contexts. This allows them to develop explanations for a variety of planning processes and urban developments they observe in practice.
 

The course consists of two activities:

• Pre-departure seminars where you synthesize key planning concepts and theories and prepare your field trip activities.
• On-site activities where you guide, and are guided by, your peers through different areas at the field trip site.

The number of offered destinations depends on the total number of students enrolled.

Note that costs vary per field trip to cover travel and accommodation.

The field trip is self-funded. 

Course Goals
The course has three main objectives

• Foster analytical skills and experiential learning in the context of urban planning
• Enhance students’ creative and organizational skills
• Cultivate peer-to-peer networks centered around thesis interests

Intended Learning Outcomes
After completing the course, students are able to

1. Apply foundational concepts from spatial planning to analyze urban development in an international context
2. Evaluate spatial interventions in an international context
3. Organize a student-led seminar [pre-departure] and walk-through [during the fieldtrip] on a planning dilemma relevant to the fieldtrip destination and collect relevant sources and material to this end.

Assessment

All components are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis. Deliverables include a seminar, field activity, field guide, and reflection.

 

Timing

Pre-departure seminars and field activities take place over an intense time period towards the end of P3, weeks 8, 9 & 10.

Attendance for all ore-departure seminars and on-site activities is mandatory. Failure to meet attendance or deadline requirements results in a NV (Niet Voldaan), meaning the student loses the right to complete the course or resit.

 

Study load = 2.5 ECTS = approximately 70 hours. ~40 hours for preparation, seminars, and activity design; ~30 hours for the field trip itself.