The studio focuses on new energy landscapes, urban transformation, and water systems and will be taught alongside a climate policy seminar with the MA in Climate & Society Students at the Columbia Climate School.

Each spring, urban design students travel to global cities and, working in collaboration with local government, community organizations, and academic partners, students explore the entanglements of urbanization, design decisions in the built environment, climate policy, and social justice at global and local scales. While the thematic or geographic focus of the course changes from year to year, the methodology and pedagogical model remain the same. By the end of the semester, students will have practiced workshop and facilitation skills, produced bold design ideas, a comprehensive publication, contributed to an interactive StoryMap that represents their design response and responds to local needs, and inquired into the role and accountability of themselves and our Columbia community to the challenges and opportunities we encounter together. The Earth Studio is anchored in multidisciplinary, international, and multiscalar learning and partnership between GSAPP, Columbia Climate School community, the broader University ecosystem, and partners.

Site Partners:

Chile: Columbia Global Center Santiago + Universidad Diego Portales FAAD

Brazil: Columbia Global Center Rio + Federal University of Brazil Rio de Janeiro FAU