The shock of the huge: Teaching urban planning through experiential learning in large classes

The advantages of teaching urban planning through providing 'real life' problem-based experiences have long been discussed with Australian and international planning schools (Tyson and Low, 1987; Kotval, 2003; Budge and Butt, 2009). However, most of the examples described in this research are from small classes, such as intensive design studios. What happens when you have 250 students in an undergraduate subject, all of whom are potentially interested in making cities better, but few of whom know anything about planning? This paper looks at the example of an undergraduate class called 'Cities: from Local to Global' in an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Environments course at the University of Melbourne. The subject introduces urban planning to undergraduates in planning and design, property, and architecture majors. For the past two years, the subject has incorporated experiential learning based on partnerships with the Department of Transport (on improving walkability) and Places Victoria, the state-owned development agency (on resident preferences in an inner suburb undergoing rapid change). Using the data collected by students for their 'clients', student essays, and both formal and informal student evaluations, the challenges and successes of this experiment will be analysed to conclude whether active experiential learning exercises can combat the sense of anonymity and ennui often met with in large lecture-based classes.