Teaching Spatial Planning Using Elements of Design Thinking as an Example of Heuristic in Urban Planning

In modern urban analysis, line–nodal connections are often used as a model, diagram or matrix for describing space and its accompanying phenomena. In practice, the search for relationships in space is often nothing but the designation of lines reflecting their physical and nonphysical association by their geometry. Recording the spatial issues of a city constituting a very complex structure on the surface of paper, or on a computer monitor, is an extremely difficult conceptual task. At the heart of Design Thinking is a deep understanding of the relationship between different elements. It can therefore be concluded that heuristics are the basis for understanding the Design Thinking method. An attempt was made to check whether the Design Thinking method can restore the optimal balance between modern tools used to develop course projects, and the need to search for the best solution constituting the idea of the project. The article presents the results of two-year research on the use of the Design Thinking method in academic teaching of subjects related to the subject of spatial planning. Thanks to the use of the Design Thinking method in teaching spatial planning, it is often possible to discover design possibilities and proposals that surprise students.