Associate professor of urban planning Gavin Shatkin and eight MUP students will travel to the Philippines, and the capital, Manila, to make recommendations on how more Filipinos can be protected from floods and earthquakes as part of the urban planning Capstone course. They will spend a week in low-income communities along the Marikina River, which runs through the greater metropolitan Manila area, home to more than 11 million people. The students will research ways to restructure communities so that disasters won't hit them so hard and the neighborhoods can snap back faster. Flooding isn't the only concern. The group will also be evaluating earthquake preparedness. Seismologists are warning that a massive quake may soon hit the Manila area. They estimate the quake could damage 40 percent of the residential buildings and kill 52,000 people. When the research is finished, the group will present a plan for its client, the Center for Disaster Preparedness, a non-governmental organization involved in disaster preparedness.

More than one-third of Taubman College students are using spring break 2012 for experiential learning.

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