University of British Columbia Link Secured
A formal link between the University of Auckland (UoA) Masters of Urban Design and the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver has been established. The relationship was initiated by Kobus Mentz and secured by Prof. Errol Haarhoff, Prof. John Hunt and, Lee Beattie, Deputy Head of Planning Programmes at UoA, and cemented by a joint studio project in Vancouver this year.
Kobus used established relations with Larry Beasley (celebrated former director of planning at Vancouver City), and Scot Hein (Chief Urban Designer, City of Vancouver) to approach Prof. Penny Gurstein, Director of the Department of Planning and Community Development at UBC.
The studio of 21 students was run by Larry with the assistance of Scot (pictured), Brent Toderian (practitioner) and Maged Senbel (UBC urban design programme leader) as well as Errol, John, and Lee from Auckland. The project area centred on False Creek, which was home to the Winter Olympics Village, a world class exemplar of sustainability design. Future joint studios are being investigated.