UVA in the Galápagos Islands — Environmental Design and Planning at the Urban-Ecological Edge: Program Overview
J TERM 2027
DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
APPLICATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2026
LEARN MORE AND APPLY
INFORMATION SESSION
-
COMING SOON
This field-based studio examines how environmental design and urban planning can support resilient and equitable urban development in San Cristóbal, Galápagos, while maintaining ecological integrity. The program combines preparatory sessions in Quito with an intensive field-based studio on the island, where students engage directly with the built environment, urban systems, landscapes, and governance frameworks shaping development in a protected and resource-limited context.
Through spatial observation, site visits, urban transects, and meetings with local community actors, practitioners, researchers, and government officials, students analyze key urban systems including public space, urban form, mobility, and environmental infrastructure. The program leverages partnerships with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and the Galápagos Science Center, providing access to local expertise and institutional perspectives.
The integration of classroom instruction, field observation, and cross-cultural engagement enables students to develop a grounded understanding of planning and design in environmentally sensitive urban contexts.
This program is open to 3rd year, 4th year, and graduate students from across the University with a strong interest in urban and environmental planning.
During the first week, students meet at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) Cumbayá campus in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. Thematic lectures, guest speakers, and a methods workshop introduce the planning challenges and analytical tools that will guide the field studio.
The second week takes place at the USFQ San Cristóbal campus in the Galápagos Islands. Students conduct urban transects, site visits, and structured field observation while engaging with local government officials, researchers from USFQ, the Galápagos Science Center and other Research Centers, and community actors.
Environmental Design and Planning in the Galápagos Islands
PLAN 5500; 3 credits
Learning objectives:
- Conduct field-based observation and spatial documentation of urban systems in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and El Progreso
- Analyze how environmental constraints, urban systems, and governance frameworks shape urban development in the Galápagos.
- Evaluate how key urban systems (e.g., urban form, public space, mobility, water, environmental infrastructure) influence everyday life in island settlements.
- Synthesize field observations and institutional insights into a Strategic Insight Brief, identifying planning and design challenges and opportunities.
The course fulfills requirements in Urban and Environmental Planning, with a focus on resilience and sustainability in international contexts. It develops core competencies in field-based observation, spatial analysis, and the evaluation of environmental landscapes, infrastructure, and governance systems in environmentally sensitive urban settings.
Vanessa Guerra | vguerra@virginia.edu
Vanessa Guerra is an Assistant Professor in Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia School of Architecture. Her research examines urban resilience, sustainable development, and the role of self-organized practices in shaping more sustainable and equitable cities. Her work has been published in journals including Journal of Urban Affairs, Journal of Planning Education and Research, Journal of Architectural Engineering, and Journal of Human Rights Practice, and presented internationally, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the University of Oxford, and Harvard University. Her research has been funded by the Regional Studies Association, UVA’s Environmental Resilience Institute, and the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation. Prior to academia, she worked as a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank in Washington, D.C. She holds a PhD in Environmental Design and Planning from Virginia Tech, a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador.