Objectives of Programme's Learning Outcomes

• Support local governance choices
• Develop management and governance skills specific to urban and regional planning processes
• Integrate the different expectations of stakeholders involved in the environment, urban planning and regional development
• Support project dynamics (technical management/political management)
• Interact with all stakeholders
• Master the conditions for the feasibility of an urban and regional project
• Analyse the dynamics of the creation and transformation of areas: referring to theories, historical processes, constraints and potential, the interplay of stakeholders, and the various relevant spatial and temporal scales in order to identify the issues and set out forward-looking scenarios
• Identify the various working hypotheses in relation to an urban planning problem and linked to urban and rural policy
• Demonstrate skills in research, analysis and evaluation, as well as the ability to make appropriate decisions based on quantitative and qualitative evidence
• Master the issues of spatial adaptation and transformation
• Identify and articulate the different components making up an urban or territorial context
• Coordinate the various disciplines involved in spatial planning across the board
• Master the contemporary societal challenges of spatial planning
• Design and mobilise tools and mechanisms for the creation of cities and the transformation of territories in response to the issues and desired directions, sensitive to the challenges of social, economic and ecological transition
• Work as part of an interdisciplinary team to develop urban and regional projects at different scales and in specific contexts
• Draw up a critical and personal analysis of theories and practices, while demonstrating ability and the development of personal skills to enter the professional world and the debate on the future of cities and regions
• Explain, through critical analysis, the political and methodological nature of sustainable urbanism and reflect on how planners work effectively within democratic decision-making structures

Learning Outcomes of UE

At the end of the Operational Development Simulation Exercise, students will be able to perform the following tasks: - Analyse an urban planning tool such as a master plan or guide plan - Put the content of this tool into perspective in relation to its operational reality - Take a critical distance from the master plan or guide plan, objectifying the issues on the basis of well-founded criteria (land issues, financing, programming, legal aspects, etc.) - Compare an urban planning project currently being implemented with similar projects in Belgium or elsewhere in Belgium's neighbouring countries - Carry out a comparative case study and draw conclusions in relation to the case being simulated - Propose avenues for the feasibility of these scenarios (phasing, financing, stakeholders, programming, tools, urban forms, open spaces, etc.)
 

UE Content: description and pedagogical relevance

The proposed exercise consists of a professional scenario in which students take on the role of a public project owner responsible for implementing an existing master plan or urban development plan in a city in Wallonia or the Brussels-Capital Region. The aim is to translate the strategic intentions of the master plan into concrete actions, taking into account the institutional, regulatory and financial constraints specific to a public project owner. Students must analyse the structure of the master plan, understand its strategic and regulatory dimensions, describe the current phase of development and identify the obstacles to implementation, whether legal, technical, social, programmatic, financial or political. They are also required to propose realistic solutions and scenarios that are compatible with the responsibilities and resources of a public project owner. The course begins with a series of introductory presentations by stakeholders involved in the master plan or related topics, supplemented by one or more visits to similar projects in other Belgian cities. The students, divided into groups of five according to predefined themes, carry out a collective project structured in several stages: detailed description of the master plan, identification and analysis of obstacles, comparative analysis with other projects, formulation of possible solutions and development of implementation scenarios incorporating programming, phasing, economic and legal feasibility, urban locations and forms, as well as governance and coordination of stakeholders. The work takes the form of weekly seminars, with regular reports allowing for educational monitoring and the gradual development of analyses and proposals. Students must act as public project managers, which involves steering and coordinating the various aspects of the project, arbitrating between budgetary, regulatory and programmatic constraints, interacting with stakeholders – residents, developers, administrations, elected officials – and taking political and institutional issues into account in the implementation. This exercise draws on concepts covered in various Master's courses: representation, urban planning, economic and legal feasibility, environmental issues, and territorial governance. It serves as an exercise in synthesising acquired knowledge and applying it to a concrete situation. A roadmap provided by the instructor serves as a framework to guide the work and ensure consistency with expectations.

Prior Experience

Not applicable