The current design studio of the chair of Architecture and Urban Design (Alfredo Brillembourg & Hubert Klumpner) is the pilot project of a new, on-going collaboration between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the ETH Zurich. The IDB recently launched the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI). Within this initiative, our research actively engages urban and ecological challenges to provide expertise in mid-size cities seeking sustainable growth models. Michael Contento