Planning Abroad 2012 explores Chile

Over spring break a team of MURP students and faculty will depart for Santiago, Chile to begin the PLAB 2012 course experience.  Each participating student will organize and conduct research and establish contacts with various agencies and organizations.  The ten (10) day trip will focus mostly on the capital city of Santiago, where the group will visit universities, government bureaus, and private firms. 

This year the students will focus their research on individual topics of interest.  The course will conclude with a paper presentation by each student.  Spatial design, social equity, gentrification, exclusivity, environmental quality, and transportation networks are the main areas of focus.  As Santiago is the urban epicenter of Chile, an excursion to the smaller seaside cites of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso will offer a look into the coastal life of this diverse South American country.  Studying the connection between these satellite cities and Santiago will provide a greater understanding of how Chile approaches planning as the need for expanded infrastructure continues to grow.

Before the group departs for Santiago, “The Chilean Experience” will commence in Fort Lauderdale: a fiesta celebrating all that is Chile with food, wine, and film providing further inspiration to an amazing travel/study experience ahead.

Spain - Summer 2011

The School of Urban and Regional Planning’s groundbreaking Planning Abroad Program provides an international, or global, context for our work.  The program consists of many activities, the most apparent being the provision of courses that involve either study tours, project related work, or professional participation in planning and planning related activities in some of the planning hotspots around the globe.  Other activities include hosting international scholars and students, participation in research and teaching projects with international colleagues, and meaningful involvement with major international academic, NGO, and professional organizations.

SURP conducts one or more Planning Abroad experiences each year as special topic courses.  While specific topics vary from year to year making the experience original and unique each time it is conducted, the topics support the mission and programmatic identity of SURP – the focus on urban regions, consideration of multi-scalarity in systems, and planning activities.

These courses are electives, designed to provide innovative experiences for both graduate and undergraduate students in SURP.  Students from other disciplines might find the course relevant and welcome, though priority is given to SURP students.

For information, please call the SURP Planning Abroad Office at 954-762-5663 or the SURP main office at 954-762-5652.