Led by Professor Lee Cott of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard's Graduate School of Design with the assistance of Professor Mario Coyula in Havana and James Brown at DRCLAS, this 2006 studio seeks to study the physical environment of the City of Havana and propose a series of planning guidelines and urban design strategies that will address the sensitive issue of Havana's growth. Consulted by the Havana's Office of the City Historian and the Group for the Integrated Development of Havana, the project seeks to examine solutions that are viable, economically and socially, as well as sustainable and, above all, respectful of Havana's unique natural and built environment. This studio is the fifth in a series of Havana studios undertaken by Professor Cott since 2000. Previous studios have focused on four specific districts of the City of Havana: the Malecon, the Vedado/Almendares Riverfront, La Fragua Martiana, and La Rampa.

In addition, the former director of the GDIC, Mario Coyula, was in residence as the Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor of Latin American Studies in the spring 2002 semester.

Harvard faculty:
Lee Cott, Adjunct Professor of Urban Design, Graduate School of Design

Collaborating Institutions: Grupo para el Desarrollo Integral de la Capital (GDIC)

Department of Architecture at the Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echevería (ISPJAE).

Visiting Scholars from Cuba & Topics Studied:
Mario Coyula
Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor 2002-2003

Eduardo Luis Rodríiguez Fernández