Publication Date: May 23, 2024

Dr. Vanessa Guerra, ’20, assistant professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance (VTIPG) Non-Resident Research Associate, visited the Creativity and Innovation District (CID) building on the Virginia Tech campus on April 4 with 22 students from her studio, “Planning and Design.” The group had been researching urban resilience in Maré, Rio de Janeiro, a diverse neighborhood in the North Zone of that Brazilian city, and came to Blacksburg to present their findings to Henrique Gomes, a Maré native and coordinator for Redes da Maré, an NGO that serves the community, and to Andreza Jorge, a student in VT’s Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought Ph.D. program and long-time resident and activist in Maré. Professor of Public and International Affairs and VTIPG Director Max Stephenson, Jr. also offered comments on the students’ presentations.  This was the second consecutive year that Guerra’s Spring semester planning studio has explored Maré and visited Virginia Tech to present its work.

Maré has a population of approximately 140,000 and is the most densely settled community in the Western Hemisphere. A significant share of the community’s population are descendants of former slaves or of individuals who migrated from Northeastern Brazil. Guerra’s students investigated the issues confronting these citizens and their community and the studio’s trip to Blacksburg to present their findings represented the culmination of their learning experience.

In a conversation, Guerra, who earned her doctoral degree at Virginia Tech, noted that student feedback on the studio continues to be very positive.

“Students end up motivated by the experience,” Guerra said. “It is a big milestone to present this work to community partners who were born and raised in Maré. The students have learned that grasping the complexities of these issues is not necessarily based on data and skills alone, but also on a deep-gauged empathy.”

Guerra said the experience had been rewarding for her as well. “I feel privileged to have been able to continue this collaboration and to provide an opportunity for our students to be part of the experience as well.”

Having her students present in the CID space was heartwarming for Guerra, since she co-developed the Rhizome Living Learning Community located there as its interim program director with the leaders of Virginia Tech’s then College of Architecture and Urban Studies.

Stephenson served on Guerra’s dissertation advisory committee and said it was a special privilege for him to continue to work with his former student in her role as a university professor and as an Institute Non-Resident Research Associate. 

“For me, exploring Maré during the last several years with community and campus partners has been a rich and rewarding personal and intellectual experience,” said Stephenson. “It is uniquely gratifying too to do so with very talented students who are exploring the community with a gifted colleague whose own talents and growth have been wonderful to witness.”

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