Integration of planning, design, and construction to train 21st century urban professionals

Summary

The built environment professions are struggling as budgets decrease and scope and importance increase. Attempting to save money, clients are turning to multidisciplinary offices for all-in-one service. Higher education can respond to these shifting trends by preparing the students for a growth mindset and openness to the ideas constructed by a team rather than an individual. Integrative learning may foster such minds. Integrative learning concerns the building of cognitive connections from... Show moreThe built environment professions are struggling as budgets decrease and scope and importance increase. Attempting to save money, clients are turning to multidisciplinary offices for all-in-one service. Higher education can respond to these shifting trends by preparing the students for a growth mindset and openness to the ideas constructed by a team rather than an individual. Integrative learning may foster such minds. Integrative learning concerns the building of cognitive connections from one skill or piece of knowledge to the next. This study found cultural areas shared among professions as well as those distinct to one profession. These cultural attributes group into four categories: axiology, epistemology, methodology, and ontology. All professions rate learning (epistemology) the required skills best while they work in offices, rather than their time in higher education. Methodologies include the tasks accomplished to plan, design, and build a project and the tools used to do so. Each profession brings their own contributions to problem solving and uses varied software to accomplish their means. These contributions are highly related to the corresponding values (axiology), though mean ratings indicate a high value for a task even if it is not one’s own. The study concludes by assessing the products (ontology) that may be created by the professions most likely to work together. The teams coming together most often represent the professions of the exterior spaces, building and interior spaces, and the legal and real estate professions. Employers and educators alike may use this information to understand the differences among the professional cultures and how bridging these divides or allowing gaps to remain can impact the project delivery. Show less