The International Design Exchange (INDEX) Studio is an annual urban design course intended to make global connections. Conceived as a research-focused course in the graduate curriculum at Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, the studio explores the urgent challenges cities have in common. The studio’s outcomes reveal potential urban futures and build understanding across cultures.
In 2016, the first INDEX Studio focused on a site in Cleveland and a comparable site in Havana: the decommissioned Lakefront Coal Plant and the Nico-Lopez Oil Refinery, respectively. The following year, the 2017 INDEX Studio again investigated Cleveland and Havana, but focused on two different sites. Based on priorities expressed by community partners and design professionals in Havana, the 2017 studio turned its attention to the neighborhood surrounding the Fabrica de Arte Cubano (FAC). This area includes El Fanguito, an informal settlement along the Almendares River.