The Urban Planning and Sustainability Project (UPSP)

In 2009 the U.S. Department of Education awarded a four-year grant Fund to Improve Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE)/U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program to the “Urban Planning and Sustainability Project – UPSP”. The UPSP consists of an international partnership between California State University, Northridge (CSUN/US), University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass/US), and the Federal University of Goiás (UFG/BR), and Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU/BR).

The major goals of the UPSP include:

  • 1. The creation of opportunities for students and faculty to study and conduct research in U.S. and Brazil.
  • 2. The facilitation of exchange and advancement of knowledge and practices of urban planning and sustainability in an international collaborative fashion among participant students and professors.
  • 3. The application of knowledge of subject matter and education of urban planning and sustainability in bilateral curriculum development.
  • 4. The promotion and advancement of global citizenship among project participants as they become more participative in world matters and engaged in the formation of transnational networks.
  • 5. The initiation of a series of actions that make possible the continuity of collaborative initiatives among CSUN, UFU, UMass Amherst and UFU beyond the four year consortia.

A total of 16 U.S. students will receive mobility stipend of US$4,000 to spend a semester studying urban planning related topics in the Federal University of Goiás or in the Federal University of Uberlândia. An additional $1,000 stipend will be awarded to U.S. students to cover language preparation. The first group of exchange students took place in Fall 10, and additional groups of students will be traveling subsequently in Fall 11 and Fall 12.

Under the supervision of U.S. and Brazilian project directors and faculty the students will focus their study abroad in urban planning and sustainability by examining subjects including transportation, environmental policy, comprehensive planning, energy and technology, housing and urban life quality, and urban migration. The project will offer students the opportunity to advance language learning while experiencing U.S. and Brazilian cultures. Additionally, students will engage in a network of U.S. and Brazilian student associations, and discuss sustainability in university environments.

Euripedes De Oliveira, MUP, MLAS
U.S. Principal Investigator & CSUN Project Director

João Batista de Oliveira, PhD
Brazil Principal Investigator & UFG Project Director

Peter Kumble, PhD
UMass Project Director

Samuel do Carmo Lima, PhD
Project Director