Comparative Informalities: Sao Paulo, Rio, and Kumasi

The subject of this studio is a comparative urban dialogue between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Kumasi, Ghana.  It will contrast the contexts of rapidly developing urban agglomerations within the differing geographic and cultural contexts of Latin America and Africa.  All three cities are the principal growth engines within their regional contexts, but with differing scales of activity and diverse economic and ecological constraints.  All are entering a phase of redevelopment related in part to reinvention of older “informal sector” areas.  These sites entail transportation infrastructure that bounds a comprehensive array of diverse urban functions, the integration of which will be crucial to redevelopment planning.  For each, the study will focus on carefully chosen fragments in the overall context.  The ultimate goal of the studio is the development of strategies for each site that can direct anticipated growth and change.

Urban Design Studio III Spring 2012
Critics: Richard Plunz (Director), Victor Body-Lawson, Gabriela Callejas, Michael Conard, Petra Kempf, Geeta Mehta, Kate Orff

More about this Studio at MSAUD 2012

Kumasi Research Project & Kumasi Publication