What was once a bare patch of land at the base of Lone Mountain has become a living laboratory for a group of students interested in organic farming, and other issues surrounding food.

In the summer of 2007, architecture students from USF spent three weeks studying and working in a neighborhood of Leon, Mexico. Their goal was to devise a plan for a functional community, complete with permanent housing, businesses, a community center, and an expanded school and health clinic.

Orphaned street children in Zambia's capital will have a special literacy connection to the University of San Francisco thanks to the work of architecture and community design assistant professor Seth Wachtel and students.