Transformative Feminist Pedagogy in Spatial Planning Education: Stimulating Radical Urban Imaginaries
Building on hooks’ (1994) vision of education as a liberating practice, this presentation starts by introducing feminist pedagogical approaches. First, Chandra Mohanty’s critique of conventional pedagogy underscores the politicisation of identity in classrooms to amplify marginalised voices. To mitigate potential backlash against identity politics, Mohanty’s concept of co-implication is employed, highlighting shared (historical) experiences to foster solidarity and reduce conflict (Mohanty, 2003). Secondly, as advocated by hooks (1994), engaged pedagogies foster reciprocal relationships between teachers and students, cultivating a classroom environment that supports shared vulnerability and collective growth. Both approaches disrupt traditional power dynamics and promote critical engagement with knowledge, enabling students to better understand social justice and equity in urban planning.
In the second part of the presentation, using my own studio practice, I show how feminist pedagogical approaches transform design studios into dynamic spaces where urban planning is revisited through the lens of social justice. Students critically engage with material and social realities. Rigorous research and free exploration encourage creative and innovative approaches to the challenges presented to students. By encouraging transgression - crossing established boundaries to embrace choice, truth-telling and critical consciousness (hooks, 1994) - the studio becomes a democratic space that challenges conventional urbanism paradigms. This approach invites students to connect personal experiences with broader political contexts (Mohanty, 2003) and cultivates critical attitudes essential for social transformation (hooks, 1994).
This article concludes that feminist pedagogical approaches are ideally suited to foster the development of urban representations that embrace social justice and equality.