Urban Design Studio III, Spring 2018

Faculty
Kate Orff, Ziad Jamaleddine, Laura Kurgan, Nora Akawi, Geeta Mehta, Julia Watson, Dilip da Cunha

Description
Water is constantly in motion, changing states, crossing borders, nourishing (and destroying) life. How can water and urbanism be considered together as a generative frame for urban design practice, social life, and ecological regeneration? The spring semester 2018 urban design studio investigated urbanization challenges in Varanasi India, one of the most significant religious sites along the Ganges River. Our goal was to develop a comprehensive understanding of water systems and social life and how these systems interrelate with a specificity of context, land, economics, religion and urban-rural pattern. Student projects for re-imagining Varanasi combine the exploration of water, economic, social, spatial, and power dynamics to propose resilient urban forms. Rather than “solve problems” and advance land-centric modes of development we aimed to envision an alternative conception of infrastructure and the city centered on water systems, landscape revitalization, health and equity.

Student Projects
* Reimagining the Assi Nallah: Jesse Hirakawa, Xiaofei Huang, Marnfah (Fah) Kanjanavanit, Shihhao Liao
* Life-Death Cycle: Tzu-ying Chuang, Zenan (Jimmy) Guo, Yiqi Mei
* Varanasi in Flux: Ban Edilbi, Fatma Mhmood, Huanyu Chen, Xianyao Xia
* High Ground + Low Ground: Yanmin Bao, Yuqi Cui, Caroline Jeon, Yeonkyu Park
* Forest of Bliss: David Chonillo, Jorge Espinoza, Gigi Singh
* Trans-Aggregation: Donovan Dunkley, Saritza Martinez Rodriguez, Niomi Shah, Sofia Valdivieso
* Four Commons: Faisal Alzakari, Yue Hilary He, Ruilan Jia, Xiaohan Wang