The projects summarized in this volume are aimed at sharpening University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning students’ skills to better equip them to improve the quality of planning practice in addressing community needs. In so doing, we can educate the next generation of professionals to simultaneously engage in public service and promote sustainability.The projects are also useful in helping to assess challenges facing cities and regions, as they shed light on sustainable urban forms and planning for sustainability. Students enhanced their understanding about how sustainability is similar or different in urban, regional, national, and global contexts.



Most importantly, an international comparative study experience requires students to stretch their minds, test their capabilities, and occasionally operate outside of their “comfort zones” as they travel far from home to immerse themselves in a new setting to learn how cities and regions are built and how lives are lived.