Abstract
Creating an interdependent narrative for a study abroad program has the potential to unify an academic experience under a common language. For eleven students, this was the case on the Fall of 2019, when they signed up to participate in our semester abroad program in Barcelona, Spain. The studio program (ARC401/501) was structured to look at an urban community as we engaged in an experiment on social design aimed at proposing ideas to help them adapt to the challenges presented by the climate crisis in the next decade. The students were given a program divided into two aspects: A macro aspect of the program, composed of a large-scale urban farm which was fixed; and a micro series of satellite programs to be proposed by the students. These were to be related to their understanding of the relationship between the macro program and the needs of the community around our site. The outcomes of the semester abroad program where a series of well-developed projects covering interesting programmatic solutions that incorporated advanced social tools for the development of community-oriented responses to present and future problems. But the more important results are seen in how a series of students manifested agency on the future of their planet. The paper expands on these themes and on how a methodology was established to allow for a common interdependent narrative between courses and activities to develop agency through experiential learning.
Presenters
Camilo CerroAssociate Professor of Architecture and Interior Design, College of Architecture, Art, and Design, American University of Sharjah, Ash Shariqah [Sharjah], United Arab Emirates
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Interdependence, Urban Farm, Self-sufficiency, Climate Change, Sustainability, Agency
