A project-based seminar on participatory design, urban governance, and civic transformation

This project-based seminar explores how public space can become a vehicle for civic transformation, equity, and climate resilience in cities of the Global South. Students will examine the intersection of participatory design and local governance, and co-create interventions that respond to urgent challenges, ranging from gender equity and early childhood development to climate adaptation and territorial justice.

Through case studies, critical readings, and guest lectures from practitioners in Latin America and beyond, students will analyze how public space functions as a site of negotiation, conflict, participation, and governance, often under conditions of inequality, limited budgets, and institutional fragility. The course blends conceptual exploration with hands-on civic engagement, helping students understand how to act within systems, without losing sight of people.

As a central component of the course, students will collaborate directly with local governments across Peru through the Pacto por los Espacios Públicos [Public Space Pact], a national platform promoted by Ocupa Tu Calle [Occupy Your Street] that brings together 45 municipalities committed to creating walkable, inclusive, and sustainable cities. Working in interdisciplinary teams, students will co-develop public space interventions and/or policy tools grounded in the realities of each municipality’s constraints and opportunities.

In addition to policy-aligned design, the course emphasizes the development of soft yet essential real-world skills: building trust with local actors, navigating institutional structures, communicating ideas through data and visuals, and negotiating across levels of power and politics.

This course is ideal for students interested in impact-driven design, participatory planning, and civic innovation across diverse urban landscapes.

 

Note regarding the Fall 2025 GSD academic calendar: The first day of classes, Tuesday, September 2nd, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. This course will meet for the first time on Tuesday, September 9th.