Walking through housing history: creative histories beyond the classroom

Public Health, Environmental Health and Housing are traditionally seen as ‘scientific’ subjects. However, pedagogic activities outside of the traditional classroom and the incorporation of the arts and humanities into teaching have multiple benefits for inclusive student learning in these subjects by deepening understanding and developing creative thinking. In this article, we discuss the development and delivery of a North London walking tour close to a university campus. We build upon critical pedagogies of walking and the development of an historical awareness of housing as a method for teaching students on Public and Environmental Health and Housing courses. We argue firstly for the importance of developing a creative approach to learning, and secondly for the use of ‘learning walks’ as a pedagogical tool for exploring, observing, and paying attention to the environment, using these to increase students’ historical awareness of housing and public health to inform their future professional practice.