With an end to the U.S. embargo in sight, fifty-six years after the Cuban Revolution, Havana is confronted with probably the most challenging opportunity for urban development in the Americas. At the heart of this development – and the site of the studio – is Havana’s recently decommissioned harbor, consisting of 1000 hectares of state-owned land currently lacking any comprehensive plan. Working directly with the Havana city government and local institutions, students designed alternative architectural typologies and inclusive urban visions that challenged conventional approaches of urban development characterized by privatization, fragmentation and gentrification.

Students proposed architectural projects that react to the existing built legacy, absorbed the influx of capital investment, and connected the surrounding neighborhoods to the waterfront, while generating an overall urban vision that tackled issues related to tourism, infrastructure, preservation, environment, mobility, and resource. City and architectural tours, museum visits, site mappings, lectures and talks from local experts in architecture, urban planning, and history constituted the majority of the trip.