Jorge Colon, University of New Mexico

January 17, 2014 (Fri) 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
UNM Continuing Education Auditorium
1634 University Blvd. NE (at the intersection with Indian School Rd.)

Rio is hot! And getting hotter! We are not talking about global warming either. In 2014 Rio will host the World Cup and in 2016 the Olympic Games. Rio is heating up for other reasons as well. As with all the great cities of the Global South, people are pouring in. How can their energy and their needs be accommodated? The convergence of the World Cup and the Olympics will put Brazil and Rio to the test. The country and the city are racing to get ready for these Mega-Events. What specific plans — immediate and long term — are being considered for Rio? How do they compare with those undertaken in Barcelona for the 1992 Summer Games, viewed by many as a model of urban development in preparation for a major sporting event? What will be their impact on Rio’s diverse population both before and after the games?

Jorge Colon is an Assistant Professor of research methodologies at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture + Planning.  He currently teaches design studios and seminars that focus on research-based practice within rapidly urbanizing cities and regions.  The work centers on the social and economic networks, transportation systems, and infrastructure that inform urban development and public space, and places a special interest in formal and informal settlement patterns within the Global South.

Prior to his teaching and research work at UNM, he taught design studios and seminars at Arizona State University and Harvard University. Professor Colón is also a licensed architect, and has worked on projects in Boston, Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.  He holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgia Tech, a Master of Architecture from Arizona State University, and a Master in Design Studies from Harvard University.