Design studio VII aims at preparing students to develop a complex comprehensive design proposal integrating structural, environmental and safety issues into the design process. The design proposal must be clearly reflected in the material submitted, implementing in the design process of this comprehensive studio, all information gathered in previous design studios and courses, covering theoretical, technical, structural, environmental, and construction techniques, as well as codes and rules. In brief, the final design proposal of this studio is a result of a long process of experimentation during the semester and is the solution chosen by the student where theoretical, functional, technical, structural, environmental, safety regulations and aesthetical problematics are addressed.
Spatial inequality in dwelling conditions or accessibility to social and physical infrastructure often materialize in urban areas in cities in developing countries, affecting the quality-of-life of those living in these areas. To narrow the increasing gap between better-off and worse-off neighborhoods, policy makers are trying to compensate for discrepancies and target these underprivileged areas. Moreover, the specific morphology of cities, their histories, their geographical characteristics, the extent of inequality in a society are just a few of the contingencies that determine the present and future of divided cities. From those contingencies emerge divisions and if not recognized, it is impossible to draw a clear roadmap for the elaboration of a sustainable planning strategy. Although the results on the ground can work out very differently for each place, it will be crucial to look at divided cities keeping in mind individual preferences, individual constraints, and opportunities.