Reading the City Through Practice: Evaluating the Urban Hunting Game as a Place-Based Learning Method in Porto and Kaunas

Abstract

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Reading the City Through Practice: Evaluating the Urban Hunting Game as a Place-Based Learning Method in Porto and Kaunas by Helena Albuquerque 1,2,*ORCID,Jorge Marques 1,3ORCID andJoana A. Quintela 1,4ORCID 1 Research on Economics, Management and Information Technologies (REMIT), Portucalense University, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal 2 Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal 3 Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT), Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, 3004-530 Coimbra, Portugal 4 Research Center in Economics & Business Sciences (CICEE), Autonomous University of Lisbon, 1169-023 Lisbon, Portugal * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Geographies 2026, 6(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies6020050 (registering DOI) Submission received: 3 April 2026 / Revised: 9 May 2026 / Accepted: 11 May 2026 / Published: 14 May 2026 Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract Urban tourism research has long recognised that understanding cities depends not only on accumulated knowledge but also on the ability to read space, interpret urban form and connect physical settings with cultural meaning. Although these ideas are well established in tourism geography, fewer studies have examined how such skills can be developed through structured learning activities in higher education. This article addresses this gap by analysing the Urban Hunting Game (UHG) as a place-based learning approach designed to strengthen students’ spatial awareness and analytical capacity to interpret urban environments through fieldwork and digital mapping. The UHG was implemented in two European cities, Porto and Kaunas, through distinct pedagogical structures shaped by local conditions. In Porto, students followed a collaborative process using uMap to co-create a single itinerary. In Kaunas, international student groups independently designed thematic routes using MyMaps. This differentiated methodological approach proved advantageous, as it showed how different levels of autonomy and digital engagement influence spatial decisions, interpretive strategies and the narratives that the students construct. Based on student-generated maps and observational notes, the findings show that the UHG enhances spatial literacy, encourages attention to detail and supports the translation of field observation into coherent tourism experiences. This study contributes to tourism geography by illustrating how map-centred, place-based learning methodologies can be adapted to diverse urban contexts and by highlighting their potential to develop interpretive and analytical competences relevant to urban tourism studies.