Experiencing service learning in design-based partnerships through collective practice

Collaboration and participation are transforming architectural disciplines. Especially in public and collective projects, where more democratic decision-making processes are starting to be implemented. Within this changing context, socially engaged universities can contribute to generate new knowledge around participatory processes and design methods. This can be achieved through design-based university-community partnerships, where useful learning for communities, students and academics can be generated. Following a Participatory Action Research methodology, different partnerships informed this paper. These were structured around landscape architecture university courses with the aim to experience service learning. The article explains the adaptability of the applied methodology and its capacity to serve community needs by seeking design implementation. It shows how partnerships allowed students to learn about new professional roles and design processes through direct experience, while academics developed practice-based research. Finally, it showcases how socially engaged academics can generate knowledge through practice and from the outcomes of that practice.