Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Resilient Communities Program COMpasso

Website | arq.ufmg.br/site/v2/

The COMpasso (Resilient Communities) Program is a partnership between the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and Municipalities in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. COMpasso engages the university community, municipalities’ staff, non-profit agencies and communities vulnerable to effects of local climate change in planning participatory processes for improving urban sustainability, environmental education and actions for local problems solving.

COMpasso seeks to engage students and faculty members through work in courses applied to developing participatory plans and projects that contribute to the quality of life of neighborhood residents. In order to address sustainable development in these very dense and poor areas of our cities, COMpasso invests in new methodologies, procedures, collaborations, and technology. Collaborative processes can be deployed to take advantage of a wide range of inputs in the planning process.

Geodesign and systemic design approaches provide an exciting opportunity to involve a broad spectrum of potential participants, from professionals to local people, in an accessible and accountable participatory process that informs the planning and actions outcomes. Geodesign is design with the territory and for the territory. It aims at contextualized transformation of the landscape, respecting both nature and culture. By experiencing fresh ideas and new methodologies that aim at sustainable integration of human activities with the natural environment, respecting cultural peculiarities, COMpasso intends to educate students in a framework for holistic vision and democratic process of decision making.

Fun Facts about COMpasso

Year Program Established | 2017
Country | Brazil
Public or Private Institution | Public
Number of Students at Institution | 48,949

In 2017 graduate level course “Public Architecture: the EPIC Program in Belo Horizonte” at the PhD/MSc Interdisciplinary Program on Built-up Environment and Sustainable Heritage was the start for EPIC activities in the UFMG/School of Architecture. The course is currently in its 4^th edition.

In 2018 and 2019 about 5 undergraduate courses in Architecture and Urban Planning engaged with EPIC activities working together with the graduate level course.

In 2018 the COMpasso Program was accepted as part of the university extension program. Currently COMpasso is working on agreements between the University and the Municipality of Belo Horizonte.

Since 2017, 30 graduate and 90 undergraduate students have enrolled in the courses related with COMpasso activities.    

Highlight Articles/Videos

Students from the local Municipal Elementary School (age 10-11) in Conjunto Paulo VI learn how to work with the territory 3D model and maps in geodesign methodology to identify local problems and develop proposals for solutions. They are going to help the adults using computers for doing the same activities during the first workshop with the community representatives.

Community Partners

2019 | City of Contagem • Population: 659,070 • Pilot areas:

• Confisco + Estrela D´Alva Neighborhoods • Population: 22,980

2017 | City of Belo Horizonte • Population: 2,501,576 • Pilot Areas:

• Conjunto Paulo VI Neighborhood • Population: 3,228                        
• Conjunto Confisco + Urca Neighborhoods • Population: 8,968

Institutional Partners

2019 | Minas Gerais State University (UEMG) – School of Design

2019 | NGO Movimento Nossa Belo Horizonte

Contact Info

Rejane M. Loura
Professor and Program Coordinator
Dep. Technology of Design, Architecture and Urban Planning (TAU)
rejaneml@gmail.com
0055(31)3409-8864

Eleonora S. Assis
Professor, Dep. Technology of Design, Architecture and Urban Planning (TAU)
elsad@ufmg.br
0055(31)3409-8873

Natália A. Mol
Professor, Dep. Urban Planning (URB)
nataliamol@ufmg.br
0055(31)3409-8834

Ana Clara M. Moura
Professor, Dep. Urban Planning (URB)
anaclaramoura@yahoo.com
0055(31)3409-8834