HOusiNG CARTOGRAPHIES
Housing Cartographies is a tool I designed to support the Department of Architecture at Universidad de los Andes in defining a new master’s program in housing.
​
I conducted research to map the thematic areas addressed by national and international master’s programs in this field and developed a deck of cards to evaluate how relevant and meaningful these approaches are from the perspectives of future students and housing experts.
​
Previously, I had developed a similar tool for a graduate program in Urban Studies, which informed and strengthened the approach used in this project.
​
Working as a research assistant alongside Professor Juan Manuel González and another colleague, I was responsible for analyzing existing programs, conducting user research, and structuring the final map and card deck that guided the program’s academic definition.
Educational Design • Research Mapping • Higher Education Innovation
Colombia
Principal Investigator: Juan Manuel González
Research Assistants: Valentina Sierra and Camilo Rodríguez
Assistant: Daniel Rojas
The map
The map is composed of a series of key concepts, each representing an abstract category that brings together related themes found across the master’s programs analyzed. Their placement on the map was defined by two dimensions: a vertical axis that ranges from production to culture, and a horizontal axis that spans from top-down to bottom-up approaches.
​
To facilitate interpretation, the concepts were also organized into three categories:
​
-
Foundations: conceptual grounds and theoretical frameworks.
-
Practices: procedures and forms of participation.
-
Tools: techniques and methods of intervention.
DECK OF CARDS
Each concept was translated into an explanatory card combining definition, narrative, and visual elements to make abstract ideas tangible. The cards included a short story that brought each concept to life, related keywords drawn from the analyzed master’s curricula, and a level of importance determined through user research with prospective students and experts in the field.
process highlights
Comparative Research
I gathered and systematized information about national and international graduate programs related to housing. I identified and classified the main thematic areas, methodologies, and approaches explored across these programs.
Life Stories and Workshop
I conducted interviews with young professionals and experts to understand their perspectives on housing in Colombia and analyzed their stories. This process revealed key concepts that shaped their relationship with housing. Later, in a group workshop, participants explored and ranked these concepts according to their relevance for the design of a future master’s program.
Synthesis and Proposal
Based on the findings from the interviews and workshop, we identified conceptual foundations, practices, and tools that could serve as the basis for the new master’s program. These recommendations positioned the most meaningful and relevant areas within the conceptual map of housing studies.