Presentation of Swiss Research Partnership Projects

Swiss Universities for Applied Sciences and Swisscontact
A development promotion program backed by SDC

Structure and implementation of a chair of integrated traffic planning at the Technical University of La Habana / Cuba (CUJAE-CEU-H) 2006-2008

A conclusion of the recent Swiss-Cuban research work SeDUT (strategies for a sustainable urban and mobility development) is that Cuba has skilled and qualified professionals in architecture, urban planning, but they are not abundant at all in traffic and environmental planning and design. By means of an international exchange of expertise and new educational elements, the new young and elderly experts - not only architects but also engineers - can receive the missing competence onsite.
By suggestion of the department of urban planning of the University of applied science, Rapperswil - CH, Swisscontact (in the name of SDC) agreed financing the structure and implementation of a chair for integrated traffic planning at the technical University La Habana (CUJAE), through the CEU-H (Centre for Urban Studies of Havana at the Faculty of Architecture at CUJAE). Chairs in the Cuban Academic context become in dynamic elements within the well established structure of departments. They play a relevant role in rising the profile of specific issues and themes. The chair has as one of its main tasks promoting the issues connected to an integrated traffic-urban-environmental design in several dimensions via lectures, postgraduate activities and research. It is therefore already established as a organic component of the work of the CEU-H.
During three years (June 2006 – December 2008) the Swiss specialists
(Peter Hotz, MSc ETHZ and Prof. Rosmarie Müller, dipl.arch.NDS ETHZ) have worked on the implementation of the chair by advising, lecturing and via involvement in projects works. They supported students as well as professional on their career and in finding daily solutions. They gave special support as a tutor in the master work of the young civil engineer and teacher Jessie Madrazo B (june 06- December 08) and advice to several design Studios on Urban Rehabilitation and Urban Design at the Faculty of architecture such as the Worksop for the so called Manzana Piloto in the Municipality of Centro Habana (coordinated by Prof. Enrique Fernández) and that conducted on Urban design by students of the third academic year in three different neighbourhoods of Havana (coordinated by Prof. Jorge Peña Díaz). At the research level the Swiss specialists contributed to the development of the Doctorate thesis project conducted by Arch. Maysel del Castillo on pedestrian-oriented design for public spaces in the Santiago de las Vegas town, south of Havana.
In the course of the last few years (from 2003) the chair has been able to support various teachers and experts at the CUJAE and the IPF (national planning institute) in their work and in their search for their own way. Since the knowledge gaps are also still considerable as a consequence of missed exchanges and blockades - associated with economic difficulties - and since they lack experience of their own because of the reliance on obsolete former eastern-block standards and US models the need to make up ground is enormous; this is true not only in theory, but also in practice.
There is the additional consideration that many of the teachers at the Higher Education on Architecture and Urban Design are being replaced by younger teachers presently. Therefore new courses and postgraduate programmes are very much needed in order to improve their performances.
Networking with decision-makers and practice has been explored. Interdisciplinary research, teaching and exchanges on this field are – as elsewhere – still at a low level. This also manifests itself in a negative sense, above all in typical cross-sectional disciplines such as integrated traffic planning (including the environmental disciplines). In this situation, we have been able to contribute with proposals for the new content, and in the post-graduated area in particular. The chair has provided updated scientific and technical literature on the related themes as well as material in different support such as videos, interactive multimedia products and other components.
Through the chair the CEU-H and therefore the faculty of architecture has revitalised its contacts with other institutions of the city and other departments at the university and has established new approaches for joined participation in research projects and tailored capacity building actions. An example of this is the organisation of a postgraduate course on Sustainable Urban Mobility within the Master (MOTU) on Territorial Ordering and Urbanism conducted by the CEU-H in coordination with the National Institute for Physical Planning (IPF).