URBAN PLAY
The Urban Design Quartet as an Innovative Teaching and Knowledge Transfer Tool
Background and Motivation
Teaching foundational knowledge presents a central challenge in higher education, particularly in interdisciplinary and practice-oriented fields such as urban planning. The subject matter is often diverse and interconnected in abstract ways, making it difficult to grasp through conventional learning methods. At the same time, understanding the complex interactions between individual urban components is essential to equip students with the competencies needed to design mixed-use and compact cities.
To address this gap, students in the Foundations module of the Bachelor's program in Urban Planning laid the groundwork for an Urban Planning Quartet: in twelve groups, a total of 24 quartet cards were created, making the basic features, metrics, and interactions of urban planning tangible. The rationale behind developing the quartet was to support the learning process through playful elements, thereby enhancing learning outcomes.
Project Objectives
Given the promising approach and positive feedback from students, the quartet is now set to be professionally further developed for long-term use as a high-quality teaching and communication tool.
The student-generated content will be curated to create a complete set of 52 high-quality cards. In addition, a uniform graphic design and game instructions will be developed, and the game will be thoroughly tested for playability, consistency, and comprehensibility.
The project also aims to establish cooperation with external partners for the long-term dissemination of the quartet, along with extensive public relations efforts to promote and establish the quartet as a teaching and communication instrument for both study and professional practice.
Project Staff: Kyra Albrecht, B.A.
Project Lead: Dr. Marcel Cardinali
Duration: April 2025 – September 2025