Studios Abroad: A Challenge in Innovative Pedagogy

Study abroad programs offer a unique opportunity to evaluate pedagogic models. The role of studios in design and planning pedagogy has been examined. However, how the general framework of a studio supports other pedagogic models has not been widely discussed. This article assesses a series of urban planning and design studios conducted abroad to illustrate how studios can be enabling environments for urban planning and design students to develop fundamental skills. The article also discusses how interdisciplinary studios expose urban planning students to diverse thinking processes and approaches. The studio environment gives students the opportunity to consider creative alternatives outside of their general planning paradigm. An analysis of learning outcomes supports the conclusion that studios offer a fertile ground for students to experiment and develop ideas; they are essential to urban planning education and allow students to develop a deeper perspective on their profession. Introduction Studios have always been part of planning programs, but their role has varied widely across planning curricula in American universities. Studio pedagogy and the best role for studios in planning programs have been discussed since the 1950s (Perloff 1957); however, most of the literature on studio pedagogy focuses on architectural design studios (Dutton 1991; Salama & Wilkinson 2007; Salama 2009). As such, while some design studios represent a mode of pedagogy with distinct methodologies that combine theoretical and applied concepts, others offer a context for learning that changes from urban planning to landscape architecture to architecture studios. Several scholars have discussed urban planning and design studios according to their main emphasis: studios that concentrate on design projects and simulate practice, usually working with a client (Grant & Manuel 1995; Kotval 2003); studios that offer opportunities for service learning, usually in collaboration with local governments or community organizations (Grant & Manuel 1995; Forsyth et al. 2000; Sletto 2010); and studios that take place in a foreign country (Goldsmith 1999; Abramson 2005; Dandekar 2008). A combination of all three models in one studio has not been analysed yet and this novel analysis is the topic of this article. The article presents the experience of an urban planning and design studio that took place in Brazil for ten years. These studios offered a unique context for learning, combining theoretical and applied concepts while exposing students to a foreign culture and urban planning environment. The Brazil studios collaborated with local universities and community partners to offer students real1 An entire issue of the journal Open House International dedicated to studio pedagogy and published in September of 2006 (Vol. 31, No. 3) does not include a single article about urban planning studios.