Transgressing Local Planning Cultures,the SPURS Program,and the International Studios

Today, we are living in a more interconnected world, as globalization has already reached most urban confines of the planet. However, as this phenomenon becomes ubiquitous, understanding how local planning cultures interact with the effects of such globalization has become a hurdle for the discipline of planning and for the educational institutions attempting to prepare planners for today’s multicultural planning environment. Here I present my reflection on the Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies（hereinafter referred to as SPURS） and the accompanying MITDUSP abroad planning courses. I offer these experiences as windows into the complexity of teaching multicultural audiences and preparing planners to perform in a varied set of contexts. In this 21;century multicultural world, we need to create a new globalized planner, not one raised on the belief of a globally homogenized culture but one always aware of the cultural and professional differences and open to learning from them.