Socially Engaged Pedagogies
The Architect as Listener, Mediator, Collaborator, Civic Agent, and Critical Practitioner
Architectural education is increasingly called to respond to complex social realities, widening inequities, and contested spatial futures. At a time of profound social, environmental, and political transformation, schools of architecture must reconsider what they teach, whom they serve, and how knowledge is produced.
This UIA EDUCOM webinar explores socially engaged pedagogies that situate learning within lived contexts, collective processes, and public responsibility. Moving beyond the image of the architect as a detached author, the session advocates for an education that cultivates empathy, critical agency, accountability, and civic purpose. Through community-based studios, design-build initiatives, and immersive learning environments, architectural education can become a shared act of inquiry and action—co-produced with communities and institutions.
The webinar will feature contributions from:
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Roberto Cavallo – Architecture Beyond Design: Educating Future Professionals as Agents of Change
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Bassem Ariguib – From Classroom to Community: Cultivating Critical Practitioners through Environmental Immersion
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Selma Harrington – Learning Within Lived Context: The New European Bauhaus Forum for Bosnia and Herzegovina (Reflection and Conclusion)
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Dubravko Bačić – Bridging Studio and Practice: Essential Competencies for Future Architects
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Ashraf M. Salama – The Socius in Architecture Pedagogy: PEARL, SHAPE, CRISP (Introduction to the Session)
Together, the speakers will reflect on how socially engaged educational practices foster ethical awareness, strengthen critical thinking, and redefine the role of architectural education in shaping inclusive and resilient environments.
Date: 26 February 2026
Time: 12:00–14:00 (Paris time)
Format: Online via Zoom
Register here.
Join us for a timely and thought-provoking discussion on the future of architectural education and its civic responsibilities.