Lecture, Exhibition, and Book Launch: Riverhood - A Geographic City Model

Friday, November 6, 2026

Exhibition Opening

Exhibition on View November 6-20, 2026

Monday November 16, 2026

Lecture and Book Launch followed by a Reception in The Gallery.
5:30pm - 7:00pm
Thomson Hall (Room 202), Richardson Memorial Hall
Tulane University, 6823 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118

This lecture is open to the public.

Invited lecture "Riverhood: A Geographic City Model," will be presented by Rubén García Rubio, an architect, urbanist, educator, and research. This lecture is part of the Fall 2026 Lecture Series and Public Programs: "Emergency: Planning and Adaptation."

LECTURE SUMMARY

How can geography reshape the way we understand, organize, and design cities?

In this lecture, Rubén García Rubio presents Riverhood: A Geographic City Model (Actar, 2026), a new approach to urbanism that places geography at the center of urban organization. Drawing on six years of research in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the project proposes river basins as the basis for a new unit of urban organization—the Riverhood—reconsidering conventional urban boundaries and reconnecting the city with its river systems.

Through extensive mapping, urban analysis, and design experimentation, the research develops an urban framework integrating ecological restoration, sustainable infrastructure, mobility, and public space. Moving from territorial strategies to architectural interventions, the lecture introduces the Riverhood model and its application along the Upper Kebena River, exploring its potential as a transferable approach to urban regeneration in response to contemporary environmental and social challenges.

The lecture will be followed by a book launch and reception in The Gallery.

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Rubén García Rubio is an architect, urbanist, educator, and researcher. He is Associate Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Tulane University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, where he directs the Sustainable Urbanism Program.

His work explores the relationships between architecture, urbanism, and geography, combining historical and theoretical inquiry with design-based research. Working across scales, from territorial systems to architectural design, he investigates how geographical, cultural, and environmental conditions inform the built environment.

He is the author of Riverhood: A Geographic City Model (Actar, 2026), the result of a six-year investigation into geographical urbanism and river systems in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His ongoing project Water Paradoxes explores water, extraction, and human settlement in Chile’s Atacama Desert. His other authored and edited books include Dubai Forward(2020) and Dubai Pop Up (2019).

He is co-founder and principal of studioVRA, an award-winning architecture practice based in Spain. His research and professional practice have received international recognition, including distinctions from UN-Habitat, the Chicago Athenaeum, the Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, and the Oslo Architecture Triennale.

Questions? Please reach out to Ben Neal at bneal1@tulane.edu.