Type and Duration
ERASMUS, February 2025 until December 2027Coordinator
Liechtenstein School of ArchitectureDescription
Our consortium (Universität Liechtenstein, Bergen School of Architecture, Universität Mün-ster, and Università degli Studi di Genova), brings together leading academic institutions com-mitted to advancing interdisciplinary education. By securing Erasmus+ funding, we aim to pio-neer a new model of teaching that integrates diverse disciplinary perspectives and approach-es, very different definitions and scales of neighborhoods in line with the EU Leipzig Charter and the European Green Deal, creating a more robust foundation for tackling the complex issues facing neighborhood development.The motivation for the project "Teaching for the Socio-Ecological Transformation of Neighbor-hoods: An Inter- and Transdisciplinary Approach" rises from collaborations between the part-ners in the past and the shared conviction that innovative solutions to the present challenges in urban development need interdisciplinary teams of experts AND a transdisciplinary ap-proach that includes citizens and stakeholders. There are many pressing challenges that need to be addressed for a long-term socio-ecological transformation, such as economic restructur-ing, environmental degradation and social disparities. By focusing on four very different urban contexts in Genova, Münster, Liechtenstein, and Bergen, our project highlights how inter- and transdisciplinary approaches in planning education -integrating architecture, human geogra-phy, and urban planning-can develop nuanced, context-specific interventions that lead to sustainable urban renewal.
The second motivation for this shared project is the new and increasing emphasis on the neighborhoods scale. Key European frameworks like the EU Leipzig Charter and the European Green Deal emphasize the neighborhood as an important site of planning intervention and indicate that at the neighborhood level "urban challenges are […] more pronounced" (Eu-ropean Union, 2020: p.3). While inter- and transdisciplinary approaches are also called for in the New European Bauhaus Compass, they remain underexplored in teaching environments. Our project seeks to bridge this gap by embedding inter- and transdisciplinary learning and teaching at the core of our approach to sustainable neighborhood development. Through ap-plied teaching formats such as workshops, excursions, and design studios that highlight the strengths and teaching focuses of the project partners, we will foster a deeper understanding among students and teachers from different disciplines, equipping them with the skills need-ed to address the multifaceted challenges of neighborhood development. This emphasis on inter- and transdisciplinarity not only enriches academic discourse but also ensures that our findings are directly applicable to real-world neighborhood development. The four project locations are illustrative of the wide variety of socio-spatial contexts within Europe and hence the project results will be applicable and scalable to other European contexts.
Project Lead
- Urbanism, Architecture & Society