City as Classroom, City as Laboratory & PLIX Urban Ecology
Team : Watching-Place; Eva Paige Normandin, Eleanor Horton, Marysa Ruseau, Media Lab Learning Initative + PLIX | Funded by MIT School of Architecture + Planning; Bill Mitchell ++ Fund; and the National Geographic Society
All learning materials for City as Classroom are freely available (and remixable) on the PLIX activity repository, here.
We initially developed City as Classroom as part of an ecological urbanism seminar at MIT, led by Anne Whiston Spirn. Originally intended for implementation in West Philadelphia, PA, the curriculum centered on developing landscape literacy in youth and their families, such that they’re able to identify the unique ecological/environmental challenges faced in cities. Later, with the support of National Geographic, we were able to implement the curriculum as a series of workshops in Cambridge, MA, which you can read about here.
After its first run, we collaborated with the Public Library Innovation Exchange (PLIX) at MIT to remix the curriculum for the public library setting. We ran initial playtests at the Somerville Public Library, leading learners through sensory nature walks, taking inventory of the tangible ecosystem, and decoding the roles of urban soils. We also developed an email-based mini-course for PLIX Urban Ecology, which provides a deeper framework for the role of nature in cities, and guides individuals through facilitating the learning activities: you can sign up here.
