Grid Reboot Teacher Guide Grid Reboot
Urban Planning Facilitation Guide
Grade Level 9th / Middle
Lesson Objectives
Analyze how urban planning reflects societal values and reproduces social relationships.
Identify historical planning mistakes, including segregation via redlining and the limitations of car-centric planned cities (Brasília).
Apply urban geography concepts like mixed-use zoning and participatory design to rezone a flawed city map.
Materials Needed
Grid Reboot Worksheet
Colored Markers/Highlighters
Projector for Slides/Video
Exit Tickets
Lesson Timeline
0:00 - 0:05
Warm-up: The Ideal City
Students brainstorm what makes a city "livable." Prompt them to think beyond just "fun things" and consider safety, jobs, and movement.
0:05 - 0:15
Video & Analysis
Watch Intro (0:00-1:05) and Conclusion (9:37-end). Teacher Tip: If time allows, briefly explain the Latin American Model or Brasília (4:12) as examples of "top-down" planning versus "organic" growth.
0:15 - 0:40
Project: The Fix-It Challenge
Groups of 2-3 "rezone" the flawed map. They must address: The Highway Divide, The Industrial Exclusion, and The Lack of Green Space.
0:40 - 0:50
Gallery Walk & Closure
Display maps. Students use the Exit Ticket to reflect on the core concept: Is city planning ever neutral?
Discussion Anchors
Mixed-Use vs. Segregated
"Brasília separated work (The Body) from living (The Wings). Why did this fail? Why is mixing homes, shops, and offices better for a community?"
The Myth of Neutrality
"Planners in the 1930s drew red lines on maps. They claimed it was about 'risk,' but it was actually about race. How does a line on a map 80 years ago still affect wealth today?"
Vocabulary Cheat Sheet
Built Environment
Human-made surroundings (parks, roads, buildings).
Redlining
Discriminatory practice of denying loans based on neighborhood race.
Eminent Domain
Government taking private land for public use (e.g., highways).
Grid Reboot Slides Grid Reboot
Designing an Equitable City of the Future
The Livability List
What makes a city "good" to live in?
Brainstorm with your partner (5 minutes):
Infrastructure?
Fun / Recreation?
Needs / Services?
Be ready to share your top 3 must-haves!
Watching: What is Urban Planning?
Embedded media
Watch Part 1
0:00 - 1:05 (The Vision)
Watch Part 2
9:37 - End (The Lesson)
Planning Mistake: Brasília
CASE STUDY
Designed in the 1950s to look like an airplane.
Rigid Zones: Work and living were kept completely separate.
Car Dependent: Designed for cars, not walkers.
Organic Growth: The city grew much faster than planned, leading to unplanned "satellite cities."
The Result
"A city is a space that encapsulates so much more than grids, buildings, and jobs."
Systems of Inequality
Redlining
Color-coded maps in the 1930s flagged minority neighborhoods as "high risk," denying them loans and building structural poverty into our maps.
Eminent Domain
Governments used their power to bulldoze Black and immigrant neighborhoods to build highways for the suburbs.
"No arrangement of a city is neutral towards relationships."
The "Fix-It" Challenge
Your Goal:
Take your group's flawed map and REZONE it.
Fix the Highway Divide
Introduce Mixed-Use Zones
Add Green Space & Walkability
25 MINUTES
Use your colors!
Gallery Walk
Look at how other teams solved the problems. Did they prioritize cars, nature, or community equity?
Final Thought
"Planning is never neutral."
Grid Reboot Worksheet Grid Reboot: Project Worksheet
Urban Geography & The Future of Cities
Name: _________________________________
Date: _________________________________
1. Warm-Up
What are the 3 most important features a city needs to be "good" to live in?
2. The Host's Wishlist
While watching the intro/outro, list 3 ideas the host has for the "City of the Future":
Ex: Trampoline sidewalks...
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
3. Concept Check
Mixed-Use Zoning:
Brasília failed because it separated home and work too much. How would "mixing" these zones change the way people live?
The Myth of Neutrality:
The video says planning is "never neutral." What does this mean in the context of Redlining?
4. Project: Fix "Flaw-ville"
MAP v1.02 // STATUS: INEFFICIENT
Below is a map of a poorly planned city. Use colored markers to rezone the space. Address the three major flaws labeled below.
Suburbs (Elite)
Suburbs (Elite)
Heavy Industrial Zone FLAW: NOISE/POLLUTION
Interstate 95 - "The Divide"
Apartments (Redlined)
Apartments (Redlined)
Office Park
Office Park
Local School FLAW: NO SAFE CROSSING
Big Box Retail
Parking Lot
City Park FLAW: HARD TO ACCESS
GREEN SPACE
PUBLIC TRANSIT / BIKE
MIXED-USE (RETAIL+LIVING)
COMMUNITY VOICE
5. Reflection
How did your redesign address the "Historical Mistakes" mentioned in the video?
Grid Reboot Exit Ticket EXIT TICKET
Grid Reboot
Urban Geography Check-Out
Name: ________________________
1. In your own words, what is Redlining and why does it matter today?
2. The video host says planning is "never neutral." Explain what this means using one example from today's lesson.
3. One thing I'd change about my city is...
METROPOLIS REBOOT // SYSTEM_CHECK: PASS
EXIT TICKET
Grid Reboot
Urban Geography Check-Out
Name: ________________________
1. In your own words, what is Redlining and why does it matter today?
2. The video host says planning is "never neutral." Explain what this means using one example from today's lesson.
3. One thing I'd change about my city is...
METROPOLIS REBOOT // SYSTEM_CHECK: PASS