Welcome

Zubeida Lowton is a Lecturer in Urban Studies in the Division of Urban Studies and Social Policy at the University of Glasgow. Her teaching contributions focus on the discipline of City Planning, an interdisciplinary field that emphasises sustainable development and the policy-making required to shape the growth of cities. 

In this post, Zubeida, considers the impact of role play as pedagogy – using a case study that demonstrates its application in City Planning (often called Urban Planning or Urban and Regional Planning). As the profession requires future planners to address major challenges affecting urban development—such as climate change, housing affordability, and social inequality—it is essential that they are equipped with the necessary skills, including negotiation and decision-making.

In the process Zubeida makes the case for how we all can use role play activities more widely and more profitably to bring about active engagement, the application of theory to realistic concepts, skills development and reflective thinking irrespective of the discipline.

Introduction

“Positioning students as planners, developers, community representatives, politicians, journalists, or activists’ transforms the classroom into a space where theory meets tension, compromise, and uncertainty.”

As an educator in the City Planning discipline with a Professional Planning background, both in terms of academic qualifications and professional experience, I was accustomed to planning programmes being delivered through traditional methods such as lectures, readings, and group discussions. While these traditional forms of teaching are similar across other disciplines, City Planning is a very practical field that combines technical and policy analysis, so this traditional form of teaching lacks the practical component necessary to prepare students to develop practical skills. 

However, when I transitioned from professional planning to teaching five years ago after completing my PhD, I was pleasantly surprised by the pedagogical approaches used in higher education. One of the courses I taught required me to facilitate a role-play simulation workshop designed for graduate-level planning students. I was intrigued by the use of alternative teaching techniques to support skills development for future planners, and this quickly became a valuable tool for me.

The purpose of the specific role-play I was using was for students to adopt stakeholder roles, negotiate their interests, navigate power dynamics, and argue for or against a housing proposal in front of a mock planning committee. Experiencing a teaching method that was immersive and reflective of real-world planning practice was energising. Planning decisions are rarely straightforward: they involve competing interests, political pressures, and contested outcomes which are realities that future planners must be prepared to navigate. I immediately began reflecting on how the role-play could be strengthened for the following year. 

In this blog, I explore the use of role-play in planning education, focusing on negotiation and decision-making as professional competencies, the design of the activity for deep learning, the challenges encountered, and the broader implications for planning pedagogy. 

In the process I hope to inspire you to consider how you might use role play in your own context – and perhaps write a #Take5 of your own when you do so. 

If you are interested, you can search for role playing activities in your field by looking at the University of Glasgow’s Active Learning Resources Hub (click here) or the Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (click here), who provide useful examples.

Role-Play in Planning Education

When students undertake a City Planning degree, for us within the School of Social Sciences, the expectation is that they will acquire essential technical knowledge through theoretical instruction. However, of course, educators should aim to go beyond this by ensuring students also develop professional judgement and workplace readiness, becoming “employable in varying development settings as work-ready planners” (Jones, 2019, pp.3-4). 

At master’s level, teaching planning is not simply about conveying knowledge; it is about shaping how students think, act, and see themselves as emerging professionals. Role-play creates a space in which students must make judgments, manage unexpected challenges, and operate within constraints that are not entirely of their choosing.

The use of role-play is widely recognised for its ability to prepare students for professional practice, encourage critical thinking, foster problem-solving skills, and promote reasoning from multiple perspectives (Meligrana and Andrew, 2003). Meligrana and Andrew (2003) further argue that “role-playing simulation games can provide a multifaceted learning experience” (p.105). 

Such immersive, active and authentic learning experiences are important for all students. This is valuable when teaching future planners, as planning is frequently shaped by unforeseen circumstances and therefore requires students to develop both practical and technical competencies.

Design Role-Play for Deep Learning

Deep learning encourages students to engage meaningfully with tasks and develop a thorough understanding of what is required. Role-play supports this by enabling students to apply theoretical concepts within a simulated scenario (Mathieson, 2015). In this case study example, the role-play focuses on a proposed housing development involving the conversion of a disused heritage building in the city centre into a shelter for rehabilitated convicts. Because of the multi-faceted contentious nature of the proposal, the application must be decided by a planning committee.

The scenario is carefully constructed to mirror real life, providing students with contextual information about the town, population, and stakeholders. Students must explore the interests associated with their assigned roles before presenting their case to a mock planning committee composed of their peers and chaired by an external guest lecturer, a planning practitioner with first-hand experience of committee procedures.

Students receive a detailed brief outlining each role. Initially, students were allocated roles, but I later shifted to allowing them to select roles of interest, with limits on role numbers. Positioning students as planners, developers, community representatives, politicians, journalists, or activists’ transforms the classroom into a space where theory meets tension, compromise, and uncertainty. Planning requires more than technical skill; it demands professional judgement and an understanding of power and politics. As part of the simulation, the mock planning committee determines the application, and students must present and justify their position.

In previous years, time constraints often resulted in a rushed committee hearing. As an adjustment, this year, more time was allocated to each stage. Students discussed their objectives beforehand, the free-play period and hearing were timed, and sufficient time was provided for a debrief: for without reflection the deep learning that can be experienced in and through role play may not be realised in practice. Introducing elements such as protests during free-play also allowed students to observe how new information or events could influence decision-making.

Negotiation and Decision-Making as Professional Competencies

It is important to recognise that a single role-play would have potential limitations as a teaching technique, particularly regarding the breadth of skills it can address (Meligrana and Andrew, 2003). In my context, one role-play may emphasise technical competencies, such as legal procedures or planning processes, while another focuses on broader professional skills including communication or management. Combining role plays for different purposes also prevents them from appearing gimmicking – they become accepted parts of pedagogy and practice.

Alongside essential areas such as planning law and local policy, the skills developed in my role plays align with those identified by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as central to professional practice (Professional Associations Research Network, 2022; The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2024). As the RTPI accredits planning programmes in the UK, it is vital that students develop both theoretical and professional capabilities. Within this framework, negotiation and decision-making are key competencies we prioritise through the role-play simulation.

Negotiation encompasses effective communication, active listening, persuasion, and strategising. Decision-making requires students to analyse information, apply critical thinking, propose alternatives, gather perspectives, and collaborate to achieve shared outcomes. The free-play period encouraged students to engage in negotiation to develop sound strategies. During the planning committee hearing, students demonstrated critical thinking by citing relevant legislation and proposing viable alternatives. Although only one student per role presented at the hearing, students collaborated extensively to develop their arguments.

Challenges

Not all students immediately engaged with the role-play. For some, the idea of performing a character in front of classmates created self-consciousness, scepticism, or uncertainty about expectations. Others hesitated simply to select a role, requiring several reminders in the weeks leading up to the workshop. This revealed an important pedagogical challenge: active learning requires students to move beyond the comfort of passive participation.

To address this, I provided clear explanations of the exercise, the purpose of each role, and how the simulation reflects real-world planning practice rather than being merely “fun and games”. For students who remained hesitant, I spoke with them individually to ensure they felt supported without being pressured. Participation was encouraged but never forced. As the workshop unfolded and students observed peers confidently discussing, negotiating, and reporting back, many gradually became more willing to participate. This shift reinforced the importance of creating an environment where students can build confidence at their own pace while still being exposed to the collaborative and challenging nature of planning practice.

Implications for Planning Pedagogy

In an increasingly complex planning landscape, planners are required to do far more than apply technical expertise. They must mediate between competing interests, communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, and exercise critical judgement in politically charged and ambiguous contexts. While role-play does not provide ready-made answers, it equips students with the confidence and capability to navigate uncertainty. Crucially, it reflects the realities of professional practice: working in contested spaces, responding to shifting power dynamics, and operating within institutional constraints.

By offering a structured yet flexible environment in which students can rehearse these challenges, role-play strengthens professional resilience and prepares students for the complexities of real-world planning work. Its value extends well beyond the classroom, acting as an essential bridge between academic learning and the demands of planning practice.

Implications for Wider Pedagogy

Role play is an active learning method that moves beyond traditional approaches to teaching and offers significant benefits for students across all disciplines. Whether in law, medicine, engineering, education, or the social sciences, role play positions students as active participants rather than passive recipients of information; it encourages them to do rather than merely observe. By applying abstract concepts within realistic scenarios, students are able to demonstrate deeper conceptual understanding and make meaningful connections between theory and practice. In this way, role play equips students not only with discipline‑specific knowledge but also with transferable capabilities essential for professional and civic life. 

I encourage everyone to consider using role-play and can refer to the following resources for further guidance:

• University of Glasgow – MyGlasgow – Learning & Teaching – Active Learning Resources Hub – Guides – Role-play
• Role Playing | Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning | Northern Illinois University
• The power of role-play simulations in college classrooms – Faculty Learning Hub
• Simulation as a Teaching Strategy | Center for Teaching and Learning 

References

• Jones P (2019) The case for inclusion of international planning studios in contemporary urban planning pedagogy. Sustainability (Switzerland) 11(15).
• Mathieson S (2015) Student Learning. In: Fry H, Ketteridge S, and Marshall S (eds) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 4th ed. Oxon: Routledge, pp. 1–475.
• Meligrana JF and Andrew JS (2003) Role-playing simulations in urban planning education: a survey of student learning expectations and outcomes. Planning Practice and Research 18(1): 95–107.
• Professional Associations Research Network (2022) RTPI Accreditation Policy & Procedures: Benchmarking Data Summary Report.
• The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2024) Subject Benchmark Statement Town and Country Planning. Gloucester. Available at: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-town-and-country-planning.

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