Guanajuato, Gto., December 8, 2017.- By presenting six student projects, the first semester of the subject "Sustainable Urban Projects" of Erasmus Citylab concluded. This is an optional subject offered since August this year in both the Division of Engineering (DI) and the Division of Architecture, Art and Design (DAAD), both of Campus Guanajuato.

Dr. Velia Yolanda Ordaz Zubia, a professor at the Department of Architecture and Coordinator of the Citylab agreement in the University of Guanajuato (UG), explained that, since December 2015, the European Union through the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and the Universidad del Rosario (Colombia), issued a summon to collaborate in sustainable urban projects.

In May 2016, she said, the agreement of Association Erasmus+Citylab "Involucrando alumnos en ciudades sostenibles en América Latina" was signed, with this, UG becomes part of this international project and where it participates with other 16 universities of Latin America and Europe.

The purpose of the project is to support the participant universities on implementing the methodology known as "PBL" in their curricula, which generates large benefits, among others: collaborative, interdisciplinary work, learning from the students through real problems and academic-actors-institutions collaboration.

This methodology was developed through the generation of sustainable urban projects; for which the professors of Architecture and Engineering, created this optional subject.

This subject began on August 2017, aimed for the students in the seventh semester of Architecture or Civil and Environmental Engineering, however, it is also open for other disciplines that are interested in projects related with the city. The first semester had a participation of 28 people, and it will be opened semiannually.

The students who participated in the period August-December 2017 can be part of a contest in which the best will be assigned for the best proposal and application of what was learned put in the project. The winning team will contest internationally with other universities, in September 2018 in Bogota, Colombia. The winning team could publish their project in an international magazine.

Dr. Ordaz explained that one of the strengths of this subject is the interdisciplinary work between the DI and DAAD divisions, and the PBL with local actors and municipal authorities; this case in collaboration with the Municipal Institute of Planning (IMPLAN).

To finalize, she informed that in this first semester, 14 students from DAAD and 14 from DI participated, each team is composed by students of the different disciplines, each one picked their topic, self-managed their knowledge and was accompanied by professors from both divisions.

On the matter, Dr. Francisco Javier González Compeán, Director of DAAD, who brought personal salutations from the Rector of Campus Guanajuato, Dr. Teresita de Jesús Rendón Huerta Barrera; said to be pleased with the works that have been developing this time, that imply for themselves a change of paradigm, a new form to learn and the importance of team work.

This is the spearhead, he sustained, and a sample of the union and brotherhood of the different divisions, in this case DAAD, "lets create more synergies like these, with this trans discipline", so he congratulated everyone involved.

Likewise, Dr. Luis Enrique Mendoza Puga, Director of the DI, was pleased for the final products and the commitment and participation of the university community, a result of which they have six academic products in contest: three of them oriented to mobility, one of solid residue, one proposal of a linear park and another for social-ecological reactivation.

In the closing ceremony, the students and teachers who participated in the project, received an award.

Also present were: M. José Moya Santiago, Director of the Department of Architecture and Dr. Jaime Emilio Arellano Roy, President of the Board of the "Instituto de Planeación Municipal (IMPLAN)".

Photo gallery