In June a group of Architecture and Built Environment students along with a multidisciplinary group of students from other programs at Deakin and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, experienced one of the world’s great urban centres, Bogotá, Colombia. This city’s dynamic history has been built upon centuries of influence from indigenous, European and rich South American cultures. Bogotá is a destination for urban visionaries wishing to experience first-hand alternative ‘development’ approaches to those found in the Anglo-western world.
Led by Dr Beau Beza, Senior Lecturer in Planning, the students enjoyed a two week study tour exploring informal settlements in Bogotá, Colombia. As part of this four nation collaboration students utilised an international collaborative and integrated perspective in urban development to test the Anglo-western concept of placemaking in the four informal settlements. An aim of this study tour was for students to gain an understanding in how these urban areas are realised and managed by community members.
While in Bogotá students attended lectures at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, conducted field investigations in two barrios of Bogotá and engaged with local community members in the informal settlements. The study tour experience was greatly enhanced through the participation of design students from La Salle University, Mexico City, Mexico; the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.
