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Tactical urbanism
Don’t just study cities, design them. Look outside your window. What do you see? If you see streets designed entirely for cars, roads and empty asphalt that could be green parks and social spaces, or intersections that feel dangerous to cross, then you are not alone. Our cities are facing massive challenges, from climate change and economic friction to social isolation. But change is slow, and waiting years for traditional, top-down urban planning to fix these problems isn’t the only option. Tactical urbanism offers a faster way. In just about one hour, this free online tactical urbanism course covers the fundamentals of how to transform ideas into real-life interventions. You will learn how to diagnose problems, match them to solutions, select materials and draft your own street experiment design. We will give you a scaffolded process that you can use to instigate impactful change in your own street, right now! Â |
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Differentiate bottom-up tactical approach from traditional top-down urban planning.
- Identify local street problems and match them with practical tactical solutions.
- Sketch low-cost, rapid street prototypes using temporary materials.
- Â Navigate bureaucracy and assess calculated risks to implement immediate changes
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Audience
This course is aimed at enthusiastic citizen, student, community leader, or urban planner – with an interest in urban planning but not necessarily in a formal role.
Modules
Recommended schedule
Total length
About the Course
Instructors
Ana Rivas de Gante
Architect/Designer, co-founder of Street Experiments for Transitions and Research Associate at the Technical University of Munich. Ana has a passion for urban transformation and a specialisation in planning, implementing and assessing street experiments.
George Liu (City UX)
Senior researcher at Technical University of Munich. George’s specialism is using urban design to create attractive environments that promote cycling and active travel as a practical and desirable mode of daily transport.
Guest speakers
Warmest thanks to Mike Lydon, Principal of Street Plans, and Lior Steinberg, urban planner and co-founder of Humankind, for their valuable contributions to the course, including featured video in Module 1.
Course Syllabus
Module 1 – The tactical mindset
Define the benefits and use of practical urbanism. Differentiating between traditional top down and agile bottom up approaches.
Module 2 – The problem – solution framework
Align street problems with tactical solutions. Mapping the 5 core dimensions with feasible street interventions.
Module 3 – Building Blocks – materials and implementation
Discover appropriate (low cost and scalable) elements and materials for identified solutions, then sketch your intervention prototype
Module 4 – Do you dare to change your street?
Identify the operational aspects of delivering a street experiment, the scaling pathway and the challenges involved. Before finally articulating your street experiment concept in a persuasive pitch
Free & Paid options
You can access and participate in the course for free. If you want to earn a certificate upon completion, you can purchase it. The certificate will be accessible only once the course is successfully completed. For more details, please see the FAQ page.
