Urban Pedagogy

Habraken's essay "Questions that will not go away" I found super interesting, particularly his stance on user participation and the concept of open building design. I find it especially crucial to incorporate these principles into our design approach as students. Doing so not only helps use prioritize a democratic decision making process but also encourages us to address a wide array of societal issues within the field. Organizations like the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), a non-profit in NYC, exemplify the importance of participatory design in architecture. Collaborating with community organizations, schools, designers, and artists, CUP works to make information about public policies, processes, and systems more accessible. They hold things like workshops, interviews, and other participatory methods, enabling architects and designers to co-create solutions that truly respond to the lived experiences of users.