Since 2006 I’ve been involved with Global Studio, a place-based action research program where international students, academics and professionals come together and collaborate with residents, community organizations and local government in disadvantaged communities. Initiated by the UN Millennium Development Goals, the program has worked in Istanbul in 2005, Vancouver in 2006, and Johannesburg in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Its goals are ambitious – participatory planning and design thinking in action, collaboration between different disciplines, countries and communities, class and field united, and projects ranging in scale (three-week design-build projects to five-year riverfront plans) and physicality (better sewer drains to stronger networks of people and resources).
Thanks to university support and grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, equal numbers of students from both developed and developing countries have been able to participate in the month-long program. As a student in Vancouver 2006 and a project associate in Johannesburg 2007 and 2008, I’ve worked with recovering drug addicts and a community news group and helped the team on projects that focus on information-sharing, the environment, housing, and the arts. I’ve also worked with cofounder and convener Anna Rubbo to develop and design many things along the way, including a website and exhibition (pdf of the panels, some below). It’s involved over 30 countries, 50 universities, and 10 disciplines – and is the reason I have so many Facebook friends. Get a glimpse from the images below and check out the website for more information.
