Reframing CityLabs: Worldbuilding as Situated Pedagogy for Public Design Learning

This paper argues for CityLabs as situated pedagogical infrastructures for public design education. The authors argue that speculative methods—worldbuilding, design fiction, and persona storytelling—can cultivate political sensitivity, systemic awareness, and collaborative capabilities in emerging designers. The authors draw on a case study in Malmö and expert reflections and provide empirical and conceptual contributions to how speculative pedagogies support public design learning. They also surface ethical and institutional tensions around transferability and legitimacy in public-sector contexts