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IHP: Cities in the 21st Century: People, Planning and Politics

Apartment Buildings in San Telmo Neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina, courtesy of Christina Anne Helena Snider
Apartment Buildings in San Telmo Neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina, courtesy of Christina Anne Helena Snider

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  • Academic TermsFall, Spring
  • Academic CalendarSimilar to VU
  • Program TypeStudy Center
  • Minimum GPA2.7
  • Language of InstructionEnglish
  • Language PrerequisiteNo
  • Additional PrerequisitesN/A
  • HousingHomestay, Hostel/Hotel

Program Overview

In this program, students explore social justice in urban environments while living and studying in four "world" cities across the globe: New York, US; Barcelona, Spain; Cape Town, South Africa; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Students will learn how these cities work and operate within the global economy, and see first-hand how politics, economics, geography, and culture shape social relations and the built environment. Through this traveling program, students will develop skills to critically “read the city,” and gain a better understanding of the interconnected systems that affect urban environment. Students are required to live with a host family in a homestay between two and four weeks at each program site, with the exception of the U.S. location.