Balance in control: The case of an urban design studio at the University of Arizona

For the first time, in history, the majority of human beings live in urban regions. Although cities are among the most complex human-made systems, they are unfortunately environmentally, economically and socially unsustainable. How can we change this? This paper discusses an undergraduate architectural design studio, Future Cities, which pushed for an environmentally holistic design process, moving past the idea of single, object-like buildings. The studio taught various digital and research methodologies to aid in the complex issue of urban form. Emphasis was placed on balancing the huge amounts of data and information that is available in our technological age, with the need to retain the human perspective and experience