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Urban Planning

At the Venice Biennale, a convergence of innovations in materials, structures, and landscapes
Robert Gerard Pietrusko’a installation ”A Satellite Symphony.”

Robert Gerard Pietrusko collaborated on the installation ”A Satellite Symphony,” which explores how satellites frame how we understand the Earth itself; the viewing structure is constructed from trees from the Veneto region downed by storms.

(Image: Gaia Cambiaggi / Studio Campo)

At the Venice Biennale, a convergence of innovations in materials, structures, and landscapes

Several Weitzman School of Design faculty and students will exhibit at the Venice Biennale’s 19th International Architecture Exhibition.

From the Weitzman School of Design

3 min. read

Penn IUR enters its third decade
From left: Genie Birch, Judith Rodin, and Susan Wachter

Housed in Meyerson Hall, the Penn Institute for Urban Research (IUR) is a campus-wide enterprise that draws from the collective wisdom of experts around the Penn and beyond to inform urban development and actions on public policy to support the sustainable growth of metros. Now entering its third decade, President Emerita Judith Rodin and Penn IUR co-directors Eugénie Birch and Susan Wachter reflect on the Institute’s history and impact.

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Penn IUR enters its third decade

The Penn Institute for Urban Research enters its second decade. President emerita Judith Rodin and co-directors Eugénie Birch and Susan Wachter reflect on the Institute’s history and impact.

10 min. read

Listening to the city
Aki Di Sandro standing on a sidewalk in downtown Philadelphia.

“I’ve always been fascinated by how different cities sound," says Aki Di Sandro, a student in the Weitzman School’s Master of Urban Spatial Analytics program.

(Image: Courtesy of Weitzman News)

Listening to the city

In a Spring 2025 City & Regional Planning course at Penn’s Weitzman School, students are exploring the connections between urban sounds and neighborhood identity.

From the Weitzman School of Design

2 min. read

Turning bicycles into an engineering study tool
Penn students riding bikes over a bridge in Amsterdam.

Students explored Amsterdam with a bike tour and even a bicycle scavenger hunt.

(Image: Elizabeth Feeney)

Turning bicycles into an engineering study tool

Penn students explore the Netherlands’ cycling infrastructure and learn about bicycle design principles in Dustyn Roberts’ popular Penn Global Seminar.

5 min. read

Changing neighborhoods, changing times
Lance Freeman stands with hands in pockets outside of a building.

Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Lance Freeman, of the Weitzman School of Design and the School of Arts & Sciences, studies how people interact with the built environment. 

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Changing neighborhoods, changing times

Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Lance Freeman of the Weitzman School of Design and School of Arts & Sciences studies how people interact with the built environment.

Kristina García

Expert Voices 2025: Access to sustainable and affordable housing
Tiny homes under construction in Baltimore.

New development of affordable tiny houses in East Baltimore.

(Image: iStock/Robbie Becklund)

Expert Voices 2025: Access to sustainable and affordable housing

Twelve leading voices in housing policy, urban planning, and finance were asked to share their perspectives on the challenge of affordable housing in the country.

From Penn IUR

Turning the desert into an oasis
People gather around a large map placed on the floor.

In Senegal, the ambitious Dakar Greenbelt project seeks to create an extensive network of ecological infrastructure in and around the city to sustainably address environmental concerns and enhance urban life. With support from David Gouverneur and Ellen Neises, Ph.D. candidate Rob Levinthal in the Weitzman School of Design led two courses that included a field trip to Dakar, that culminated in students presenting their visions for parts of the Greenbelt.

(Image: Courtesy of Chaowu Li)

Turning the desert into an oasis

Students from the Weitzman School of Design journeyed to Senegal to help with a massive ecological and infrastructural greening effort as part of their coursework. The Dakar Greenbelt aims to combat desertification and promote sustainable urban growth.