Architectural education is currently undergoing seismic shifts. While some perceive this transition as a weakness, others consider it a reflection of an ability to respond to changes taking place in the society architecture seeks to serve. Similarly, radical pedagogy is concerned with how knowledge and education can or should change to best serve the needs of educators, students, and society at large.
For education to be radical, it needs to be reflective and critical as well as responsive and willing to take creative risks that respond to change in real time. Fixed professional curricula are but a brittle bone—by refusing to adapt, their integrity fails. Subsequently, fluid curricula serve society and the needs of students, ensuring their own relevance and even survival.
Harriet Harriss is also the founding director of “Live Lab,” a university-situated incubator for architecture business start-ups and community-engaged student projects committed to social innovation. Her “Live Project” programs partner public sector organizations with architecture students to co-create real-time designs that respond to specific community challenges.
This program also enables design students to gain key professional skills during their higher education training, empowering the architects of tomorrow to achieve civic engagement and more impactful design responses.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
About TEDx
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
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