Urban Design Master’s Program

The Urban Design Master’s Program at Universidad Metropolitana was founded in 1996. It has gained national and international recognition for consolidating Urban Design as an important field of practice in Venezuela. The Harvard Design School, with the support of local government institutions, played a key role in conceptualizing this Master’s program and tailoring it to respond to Latin-American needs. Our faculty holds professional degrees from well-known universities and has ample teaching and working experience.

Our graduates are capable of understanding, managing, and proposing processes which result in the creation and improvement of urban form. This program is geared for individuals acting both in the public and private sector, welcoming professionals from a wide range of urban related disciplines: architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers, lawyers, all interested in urban form.

The admission’s process opens each year in mid April. Those admitted start classes in September. Students are expected to finish their courses, including their thesis, over a 5 trimester period, of 12 weeks each. They are required to attend all courses, each term. Classes are taught in Spanish and simultaneous translation is provided for Visiting Professors when needed. Some of these courses are offered to a limited number of professionals interested in advancing their knowledge in particular fields of knowledge. Upon satisfactory completion, if they apply and are admitted to the program, these courses can be accredited towards their degree.

Renowned professionals from around the globe participate as Visiting Professors, during two out of three of our design Studios. The following have been Visiting Professors and active supporters of our program: Peter Rowe, Joan Busquets and Alex Krieger from the Harvard Design School; Ken Greenberg from Toronto, Antoine Grumbach and Phillipe Panerai from Paris; Ximena Samper from Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá; Lauretta Vinciarelli from Columbia University; and Joaquín Casariego and Elsa Guerra from Las Palmas de Gran Canarias.

Studios deal with topics of regional and world interest. Site visits are also organized to familiarize students and professors with local conditions and/or the state of art. International field trips have included: Paris, Barcelona, Boston, Las Palmas de Gran Canarias and Bogotá.

The school also organizes Student Exchange Programs and Joint studios with other Universities, Seminars, Lectures, Roundtable Discussions, Exhibits and regularly produces News Letters and Publications.

The Urban Design Master’s Program at Universidad Metropolitana is also responsible for: The Mayor’s Institute on Urban Design (IDUA), and the Urban Design Center (CDU).

The IDUA has been conceived to strengthen municipal leadership and skills. Two to three sessions are organized per year, for a selected number of Mayors. Each of which is asked to select a case study of their interest and present it to the other Mayors and to a panel of specialists of different professional backgrounds. As a result, precise design, political, financial, legal and managerial recommendations are set forward.

The CDU supports both public and private initiatives by providing consulting services and/or developing urban design proposals for a wide range of topics: Historic Districts and Commercial Areas, Transportation corridors, Mixed use developments and housing, Neighborhood improvements, Tourism, Parks and recreational facilities, Environmental and risk management programs, Large scale territorial and urban strategies, etc.