This summer school invites students from ETH Zürich and students at the José Antonio Echeverría Higher Polytechnic Institute Havana (CUAJE) to develop sustainable visions for the Historic Port of Havana, Cuba. In the Cuban capital, you will analyze the current urban development and mobility potentials using quantitative and qualitative tools. You will be challenged to work in a cross-cultural setting, engaging in participatory urban design and developing urban alternatives to influence decision makers.

Our investigation will focus on the Historic Port of Havana, part of the UNESCO World Heritage. A symbol of the imagery of Havana, the port is also the core of all shipping and industrial activities in Cuba. In the near future however, those activities will be transferred to the new Port of Mariel outside the city. This relocation will potentially free 4400 hectares at the center of the Old Havana. Anticipating this urban transformation, we will analyze and explore what potentials and inclusive urban strategies can be envisioned for the Historic Port.

The summer school will build upon the existing Cuban-Swiss research program SeDUT and students will profit from the extensive expertise of the SeDUT partners, such as the INVACURB Urban Actions & Research Group, the Planning Office of Havana and other institutions.

Interdisciplinary work-lab for students in architecture, engineering, environmental and social science at ETH Zürich and at the CUJAE La Habana. The summer school is a collaboratively taught course (together with Hubert Klumpner, ETH Zürich; Jorge Peña Díaz, CUJAE La Habana; Christian Schmid, ETH Zürich; Javier Ortigosa, ETH Zürich; Marie Grob, ETH Zürich) from August 21–September 1, 2016.