Barcelona is a world leader in urban design and architecture with the Smart City Expo and Mobile World Congress occurring annually. Health and social equity are priorities in a culture that invests in the collective good. Air pollution, sound pollution, light, as well as inclusive design, social interaction and cohesion and neighborhoods that serve locals are all priorities in the face of global pressures of tourism, capitalism and climate crisis. Design is the path to social good in Barcelona.
The Urban Design in Barcelona program, since 2011, has been connected to professional and government collaboration from director and faculty-leader Philip Speranza's time living and working in Barcelona since 1999.
The Spring program will be one of growth for the program. 16 credits will be conveyed via studio, media, advanced technology and seminar courses. Collaborations with Pritzker Prize Award RCR architects, Aldayjover and the City of Barcelona will focus around the integration of three Oregon + Catalunya ideals: urban design, housing access and cross laminated timber. The project will be located in the newly mixed-use La Marina del Prat Vermell post industrial neighborhood via past 22@ innovation district planners like Arrantxa Gonzalez. Barcelona leading Superilla pedestrianized three-by-three block area past subdirector Cynthia Echave will lead a sustainability, energy and indicators seminar. Jesus Arcos of Aldayjover will lead workshops and office visits around water in landsacpe architecture and architecture.
You will travel to Granada to visit the Alhambra, study the Albaicin neighborhood and to Cordoba's Great Mosque. You will also visit RCR projects in Olot and Ripoll and a visit to their office; Caralunya's only CLT factory and one of three in Spain will be visited in Rialp in the Pyrennes; and a possible one-week RCR La Vila workshop. You will learn intensive media skills including Grasshopper Rhino and Revit. You will be encouraged to find time for everyday health experiences such as using a local gyms, outdoor public recreation, pickup futbol, coastal and mountain trips, and Gaudi tours on the weekends.
See student work from previous years at the Urban Design in Barcelona blog.
Scholarship Opportunity: Applicants to this program have the option to apply for a program-specific scholarship. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay. Individual awards range from $500 - $1,000. To be considered, the Scholarship Essay must be completed by the program application deadline. Please refer to the Scholarship Essay instructions in the program application or speak with your GEO advisor for more details.