Reflections on the Pedagogy of Place in Planning and Urban Design

Abstract

This article revisits the concept of place in planning and urban design and proposes a conceptual framework consisting of four ontological constructs of place as a set of visual attributes, product, process, and meaning. The article discusses the theoretical underpinnings of each concept and explores the advantages of a continuum between these terms to help bridge the gap between policy planning and physical design and to move toward a meaningful urban design. The study also examines the application of the proposed constructs of place to a sophomore-planning studio, focusing on the University of Cincinnati campus, which was offered at the School of Planning during the fall quarter of 2002.