121 Rural Placemaking – Critical Approaches to ‘Obvious’ Sustainability

Disciplines: – Agriculture Forestry, Fisheries and Veterinary – Social Sciences, Journalism and Information

Programme: MSc(Agr) in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development

Student Engagement: 20 students registered to the module in Rural Placemaking 2024/2025

Keywords: Placemaking, Rural Development, Rural Sustainability, Critical Thinking, Community Engagement

Initiative Description

The Master of Science (Agr) in Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Development at UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science focuses on current and future transformations in agriculture and rural development. This programme adopts a place-based approach to rural change and futures, exploring how agriculture can contribute to sustainable development, and how communities and governments can address challenges and opportunities in changing rural areas. The Masters aims to foster a holistic understanding of sustainable development, moving beyond a singular focus (e.g., environmental only) to an integrated approach encompassing environmental, economic, social, and cultural aspects. It serves as a ‘conversion course’, accepting students from diverse academic backgrounds, including agriculture, humanities, business, music, literature, arts. It encourages peer learning and promotes a broader perspective on sustainability.

A new module within this Masters called, ‘Rural Placemaking’, emphasises the integration of various disciplines like urban design and planning, economic development, community development, arts, culture and activation, engineering and infrastructure, and sustainability and caring for place. This module addresses ‘real-world’ problems and projects, aiming to equip students with strategic, collaborative, and integrated problem-solving competencies.

The assessment for this module involves a problem-based learning project where students develop a comprehensive placemaking strategy for a rural town, applying key concepts of placemaking and sustainable development to address specific local challenges and opportunities. The initiative seeks to empower students to facilitate future change by bringing together different stakeholders and promoting a bottom-up approach to community development.

Ultimately, the module and wider programme strives to help students understand the multifaceted meaning of sustainability, ensuring that social, economic, cultural, indigenous, and local considerations are integrated with environmental goals.

Collaboration, Partnerships & Student Participation

Rural Placemaking includes Local Development Companies (agencies responsible for social inclusion and local development across Ireland), the respective Local Government where the town in question is based, and community groups through its practical, problem-based learning approach. Students are tasked with developing placemaking strategies for real or imagined rural towns, which necessitates engaging with the types of challenges and opportunities faced by these communities through active listening and research. This project assessment demands a holistic approach, requiring students to consider various elements that make a place function well, such as infrastructure, economics, and community engagement. It also requires students to lead on learning, and take responsibility for the outcome of the project.

The module’s design, which also caters to part-time students working in government/state agencies/private practice, further strengthens this connection, as these students bring direct experience from these organisations into the learning environment. The curriculum aims to move students toward a holistic understanding of sustainable development, preparing them to work with communities and facilitate future change. The Master’s emphasis on bottom-up approaches and engaging with stakeholders ensures that students are equipped to work alongside these local entities to address community decline and build positive momentum.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes intended for those engaging with this initiative are focused on developing a holistic understanding and practical application of sustainable rural development and placemaking. At the end of the module students will be able to:

• Apply key concepts of placemaking and sustainable development to address challenges and opportunities in rural communities.
• Develop comprehensive placemaking strategies for rural towns, demonstrating a holistic approach while integrating their individual expertise.
• Utilise critical thinking to understand how different elements of sustainable development (environmental, economic, social, cultural) work together.
• Engage in strategic, collaborative, and integrated problem-solving approaches to address ‘messy problems’ in rural areas.
• Recognise and integrate social, economic, cultural, indigenous, and local considerations as key components alongside environmental goals in sustainable development initiatives.

Teaching and Learning Approach

A key pedagogical strategy is problem-based learning (PBL), exemplified by the ‘Revitalising a Rural Town’ assessment where students develop a comprehensive placemaking strategy for a rural town. The approach emphasises developing:

• Ways of thinking, in particular critical thinking, and the ability to analyse and evaluate information objectively, identify biases, and form reasoned judgments. Students are encouraged to question assumptions, scrutinise various perspectives on sustainability, and assess the effectiveness of different interventions.
• Ways of practising, such as strategic, collaborative, and integrated problem-solving. The module requires students to think strategically how to address specific challenges and opportunities within a locality, considering long-term goals for sustainable development. During the module, they identify priorities, allocate resources, and envision the steps needed to revitalise a community. Collaboration is key to this and emphasises working effectively with others to achieve shared goals. This approach recognises that sustainable development and placemaking are not solitary endeavours, but complex ones necessitating meaningful involvement of and collaboration bewteen diverse stakeholders. The placemaking framework itself integrates and builds on the expertise of a range of disciplines, highlighting the collaborative nature of the work.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy Rural Placemaking module is centred around a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) project. The core assessment involves students developing a comprehensive placemaking strategy for a real or imagined rural town. This project requires them to apply the key concepts of placemaking and sustainable development to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by such communities.

Key assessment methods include:

• Groupwork – final report is produced by the group
• Reflective practice – individual student reflection on their experience of the project that emphasises how they developed their ‘ways of thinking’ and ‘ways of practising’
• Presentation – group presentations with stakeholders.

Impact & Outcomes

Competency Development: Students develop key competencies for sustainable development, directly connecting ESD to employability. They gain practical skills in strategic planning, collaboration, and integrated problem-solving, essential for careers in rural development, planning, and community work.

Holistic Understanding of Sustainability: Students move beyond singular disciplinary perspectives (e.g., environmental only) to embrace a holistic understanding of sustainable development, integrating economic, social, cultural, and indigenous considerations. This broadens their capacity to contribute effectively to diverse sustainability challenges.

Confidence and Action-Orientation: By engaging in ‘real world’ problems, students gain experience in applying their knowledge, which can increase their confidence in facilitating change and taking action. They learn to initiate a change by identifying opportunities for small wins with communities and building momentum.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Working on complex placemaking projects encourages students from diverse academic backgrounds (agriculture, arts, humanities, business) to collaborate, fostering peer learning and the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams.

Best Practices & Resources — Top Tips

• Apply a ‘place-based’ lens to studying sustainability. This can support a holistic understanding of sustainable development and facilitate student learning to appreciate the complex dynamics involved in terms of agencies, organisations and individuals involved.
• Openly challenge student understanding of sustainability. If students come from different academic and professional backgrounds, they may have a singular or narrow perspective on what it is. Through class discussions and debate, assist students to gain perspectives from other disciplines and experiences by asking them to role play and ‘put themselves in other people’s shoes’.