UMass Dartmouth Faculty-led: Barcelona, Spain - Analysis of Historic Environments and Planning for Resiliency
Professor Rose Mary Botti-Salitsky
6 - 13 March 2020
Program Description
The impact of resilient design as it relates to a community’s ability to predict, react and adapt during unanticipated factors. Strategies and tools required for resilient design focusing on historical built environments and business continuity planning, students will analyze and observe various resilient design approaches used across the globe and explore these important cultural and geographical differences through international travel.
This is an elective course that integrates international travel. Fulfilling the IAD program indicator (PO1): Global Context: Graduates will have a global view and consider social, cultural, economic, and ecological contexts in all aspects of their work.
Co-Curricular & Cultural Activities
- Barcelona Go´tica" city tour: A tour through the medieval heart of the city, popularly known as the Gothic Quarter. Located in the old town of Barcelona. Includes Barcelona Cathedral, Barcelona Call and Medieval Synagogue, Placa Reial, Las Ramblas, and Santa Maria del Mar (from outside only).
- Gaudi´ & Modernisme" city tour: Students will discover Gaudi's creations and some of the major modernism sites.
- Placa Fotovoltaica del Forum: The mission of this organization is to reduce energy consumption and advance towards self-sufficiency
- Visit to a wastewater treatment plant (Sant Adria` or El Prat)
- Barcelona's Resilience Model: A visit to a municipal office to hear about the city's resiliency strategies Barcelona's Tunnels
- Day Trip to Girona: Includes walking tour, guided visit to the Dali museum.
About the Location
There’s no better place to explore and learn than in Barcelona, with its dynamic, friendly personality, pleasant climate, sea breezes, and fascinating history. The city has a reputation for being edgy and modern while maintaining tradition, having undergone many transformations. It now is home to eight universities. It’s also considered one of the world’s leading touristic, economic, cultural, and sports centers. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain with its own distinctive history, culture, and language. Set between mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, the city's population is 1.6 million, with a total of 4.5 million in the greater metropolitan area. Walking though the city, one can observe 2,000 years of architectural history, including Roman remains, the network of narrow streets in the Old Town, and the 19th-century Eixample district with its original examples of modernista architecture. History contrasts with the ultramodern showpieces that continue to redesign Barcelona’s skyline.