From canon to planet: social agency, epistemic plurality and regenerative futures in architectural education

Purpose This article aims to establish an integrative conceptual framework for reorienting architectural education in response to intersecting global pressures. Architectural education faces significant pressures resulting from climate emergency, accelerating social inequity, geopolitical instability and rapid technological transformation that expose the limits of its inherited Eurocentric, studio-based traditions. This article argues that its future depends on four interrelated transformations: the critical rupture of the architectural canon; the reinstatement of social agency through the socius; the decolonisation of pedagogy toward epistemic plurality; and the advancement of sustainable and regenerative pedagogies. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and circular thinking, these transformations crystallise in the concept of planetary architectural pedagogy, an integrative framework positioning the architect as a mediator, collaborator and steward within complex socio-ecological systems. Design/methodology/approach The article adopts a theoretically anchored conceptual approach, drawing on critical theory, decolonial scholarship, social epistemologies and sustainability frameworks. It synthesises an emerging body of pedagogical research, including the ADAPT2SDG typology, the circular commons model and the socius framework, alongside an analysis of international accreditation and validation systems (AACA, RIBA, Architects Registration Board, National Architectural Accrediting Board and UNESCO–UIA). The argument progresses through thematic analysis, integrating scholarly literature with empirical evidence from a global survey of 345 schools of architecture across 159 countries. Findings The article identifies four interrelated transformations reshaping architectural education: (1) the rupture of the canonical studio tradition and its Eurocentric knowledge hierarchies; (2) the reinstatement of social agency through the socius as a site of collective knowledge production; (3) the operationalisation of decolonised pedagogical frameworks that translate global SDGs into context-sensitive practice; and (4) the integration of SDGs and circular commons to advance socially just and ecologically grounded design learning. These trajectories meet in what this article calls for “planetary architectural pedagogy”. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual article, the argument draws on illustrative case evidence rather than systematic empirical data across all sections. Four productive provocations are identified and include: scale, expertise, critique versus construction, and accreditation versus transformation. They remain unresolved, open ended, and are offered as productive sites for future empirical and pedagogical research. The article does not prescribe a singular curriculum or studio model, recognising that contextual responsiveness is central to any decolonised, planetary approach. Practical implications The article offers educators, curriculum designers, and institutional leaders a conceptual vocabulary and adaptable knowledgebase for reorienting architectural pedagogy. The ADAPT2SDG typology and circular commons model support the embedding of sustainability, decolonisation and social equity in teaching, learning and assessment. Social implications Reconceptualising architectural education around social agency, epistemic justice and ecological stewardship, the article supports a vision of architectural education and profession as a contributor to more just, equitable and sustainable built environments. Planetary architectural pedagogy positions future architects as active participants in shaping socio-ecological interdependencies at local and global scales. Originality/value The article makes an original contribution by synthesising four distinct trajectories of pedagogical transformation, including canonical rupture, the socius, decolonisation and sustainability, into the integrative concept of planetary architectural pedagogy. It advances this synthesis through recent empirical frameworks (ADAPT2SDG, circular commons and global UIA survey) and documents for the first time; their intersection with institutional accreditation shifts across multiple national and international systems. The concept of planetary architectural pedagogy constitutes a new contribution to the vocabulary of architectural-education scholarship.