Benefiting built environment education : the use of scaled three-dimensional urban simulations as teaching tools in elementary and secondary school curricula

The intent of this thesis has been to determine how three-dimensional scaled simulations, such as miniature villages and city planning models, can be used in built environment education. An extensive literature review uncovered a wide range of elementary and secondary school curricula oriented towards community design issues. In order to assess the programming associated with existing urban representations, surveys were mailed to a sample group) of 65 public and private entities, each featuring at least one form of simulation. Questionnaire recipients included: planning agencies, museums, architectural firms, universities, and tourist attractions. Three mini-case studies were also conducted. Over thirty organizations responded to the survey, and as with the mini-case study group), these respondents described very diverse missions, and thus, equally diverse programming. Although educational concerns were considered important by nearly all of these groups, the level of their involvement through the use of their resources often indicated otherwise. This discrepancy is in part attributable to the fact that very few governing bodies have established policies regarding civics and planning-based studies. Nonetheless, due to the efforts of a small, yet committed, network of nonprofit educational outreach groups, an excellent array of teaching resources is currently available. Most of these programs and curriculum guides are successful, because concerned volunteers and educators have discovered that the interactive processes typically generated by scaled simulations are ideal for nurturing an enthusiasm and desire to learn.