The interdisciplinary team composed of Judith Rodríguez (MLA/MAUD ’13), research associate for the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, and Abner L. Calixter, research associate for GSD Exuma, was selected finalist for the Mojdeh Baratloo Urban Urge Awards 2014 for their proposal titled "CAJU - Refresca São Paulo."
Gia Wolff (MArch ’08) can draw a line from her interest in “spectacle, performance, scale and experience”–which she explored in her GSD thesis project–to her winning 2013 Wheelwright Prize proposal, to her current installation in the Tate Modern’s “Up Hill Down Hall: An indoor carnival.”
Ecosistema Urbano, the firm of Belinda Tato and Jose Luis Vallejo (design critics in architecture), has been awarded 1st prize in the international competition for the Master Plan to redefine the historic downtown of the city of Asunción, Paraguay. Details and photos in ArchDaily and on the Plan CHA website or read a translation of the proposal. Photo courtesy of la Secretaría Nacional de Cultura
Bing Wang (associate professor in practice of real estate and the built environment) was selected a Young Leader by the 2014 World Cities Summit. WCS Young Leaders are prominent individuals from diverse urban sectors who are committed to actively catalyze change in cities and help shape urban development agendas. They are selected once every two years for a 3-year tenure. The WCS YL initiative provides a platform to carry out intellectual discourse on urban issues and launch initiatives to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. Learn more about the World Cities Summit Young Leaders.
At the GSD, Urban Planning and Design studios often offer students the opportunity to grapple with global issues at the local scale. During spring 2014, students delved into the challenges of the coffee trade in Medellin and land reuse in Barcelona.
For students at the GSD, the summer represents a valuable chance to apply their skills and knowledge to challenges outside Gund Hall. Five UPD students–Jon Springfield, Margaret Scott, Jefferson Mao, Joyce Lee (all MUP ’15), and Jean You (MAUD/MDES ‘15)–are doing so through the GSD’s Community Service Fellowship Program.
Felipe Correa's (associate professor of urban design) workshop “Tokyo: A Synthesis of Scales” explored Tokyo as a unique urban laboratory to examine architecture across a range of urban scales. Students and faculty from architecture schools in the region took part in a short yet intense design exercise. The workshop was supported by Dean Mostafavi's office, Tokyo alumni and the Mori Corporation.
This summer, The Architectural League and the Center for an Urban Future have launched a design study to articulate new architectural, financial, and programmatic possibilities that will unlock the potential of the NYC branch libraries to be essential neighborhood-based resource centers. An interdisciplinary team including Daniel Hernandez, (LF ’98) of Topoloty LLC and Michael Murphy (MArch ‘11), executive director of MASS Design Group, is among the 5 winning teams selected to participate in the design study. Learn more on the ArchLeague website.
Career Discovery students investigating urban planning and design this summer are getting a crash course in how to redevelop a site. Under the guidance of Adrienne Matthews (MUP ’14), Lydia Scott (MUP ’14), and Beth Lundell Garver (MAUD ’14), the students are developing plans to reuse a large parcel of land that is currently home to a big-box store in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Students from UPD’s second semester core urban planning studio have published “Connect Chelsea: Three Visions for a Gateway City,” a report of their recent work in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Their proposals range from converting industrial waterfront into parkland to incubating businesses, designed for lasting impact.