Game-playing in Interdisciplinary Design and Planning Teams: A Role-play Simulation as a Learning Method

In this paper we present our experiences in setting up and fulfilling a role-play simulation in an academic context. This simulation was set up for the first time in February 2010 to teach 260 students in their final semester in the Bachelor, the bachelor 6, of the Faculty of Architecture how to work in interdisciplinary design and planning teams. Main goal was to teach them how to deal with expert targets in relation to interdisciplinary negotiations in a decision arena. Students had to optimize different expert sub solutions to come to an integral Master Plan for an outdated industrial area of 130 ha which the local municipality wants to transform into a lively urban district. In this role-playing simulation students learned that transformation of urban areas is not something for one individual to decide on (planner or designer) but needs a combined effort from mutual interdependent professionals to make a realistic and feasible plan. The dynamics of this mutual interdependency and the need for a realistic and feasible plan were the core of the final semester in the Bachelor.This exercise was repeated in September 2010 and in February 2011. For the second and third round we made some minor adjustments on the concept. We will give you insight in our practical experiences with this didactic model and combine this with scientific theories on gaming and simulation. At the end of this paper you will find some conclusions and recommendations for the use of role-play simulation as a learning method.