Sustainable urban growth and climate change – challenges to the future education

A new project called Reform of Education in Sustainability and Climate in Urban Environments (RESCUE) has started in October 2012 in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU, UK), University of Salento (UdS, IT) and Lahti University of Applied Sciences (LUAS, FI) as the coordinator. The rationale of the project was the need for advanced education for a new professional concerning urban issues and climate mitigation and adaptation. Our research reveals no similar programme exists at present in Europe [1]. The strengths of our partners are built up on the different professional viewpoints to the education: climate change research (UdS), urban sustainability and management (GCU) and communicative planning (LUAS). Rapid urbanization and urban sprawl are causing different scale challenges to climate adaptation and urban quality of life while understanding of these issues demands a new kind of professional education compared with earlier programmes. The project aims to provide a new model of Master education based on a needs assessment and involving of several stakeholders in partner countries as well as six associate partner universities. It will also create and run a pilot programme of continuous professional education (CPD) and learn lessons from it to shape and mould the eventual Master’s programme. The presentation will enumerate the results of a Needs Assessment seminar and several dissemination event to be held in Spring 2013. It is hoped the action will lead to a joint MSc degree, aiming at creating a new breed of professionals in the highly interdisciplinary field of urban sustainability and climate change. The proposed joint platform will use the latest communication and media technologies to enhance the up-to-date nature of the content and wider cross-border participation of staff and students, leading to a cutting edge, mobile study programme” [3]. The HEIs are integrating and developing their existing Master modules to combine a new set of interdisciplinary course with a strong virtual nature. The validation of the final programme will guaranteed by the Scottish Credit and Quolifications Framework (SCQF) aligned to the Bologna Process