Co-creating knowledge: The CIEPAU and the consolidation of a living research planner around architecture and urbanism

Abstract

The International Congress of Graduate Students in Architecture and Urbanism (CIEPAU), spearheaded by graduate students from the Faculty of Architecture in Xalapa at the Universidad Veracruzana, has evolved into a vital platform for knowledge exchange. Beyond capturing the latest trends in architecture and urbanism, the congress promotes multi- and transdisciplinary research, establishing itself as a high-impact pedagogical-research phenomenon at local, national, and international scales. In this regard, this paper posits the following paradox: How does a student-organized congress manage to both capture and, simultaneously, drive the most current trends in the discipline? To address this, the trajectory of CIEPAU is analyzed through a longitudinal documentary review as a paradigmatic case study, alongside the evolution of graduate research at the Faculty of Architecture on the occasion of its 70th anniversary. This article is based on a documentary review of the history, calls for papers, and programs of the nine congress editions (2017-2026), as well as the author’s direct reflective experience as a co-organizer of the 6th, 7th, and 8th editions. Finally, the study demonstrates how CIEPAU has transitioned from a space for academic socialization to an active agent that defines research agendas, fosters student leadership, and responds agilely to contemporary habitat challenges, ultimately consolidating a horizontal learning community.