This summer school aims to address the sustainable city from an interdisciplinary perspective to explore contemporary cities’ transitions to sustainability.
In concrete terms, we focus on specific environmental issues such as water and air quality, energy, circularity and biodiversity, and their interactions with social inequalities and injustice. We address these issues in interdisciplinary seminars and lectures with sociologists, planners, economists, historians, ecologists and others. We learn from practitioners in urban sustainability and visit innovative projects in Antwerp to explore how research informs concrete change in the city.
We aim to give participants an opportunity to discuss with and learn from speakers and fellow students from different academic and professional backgrounds. In a final group project, participants apply what they have learnt during the summer school to a specific urban sustainability challenge.
The summer school's themes in 2026:
- Monday - Urban sustainability
- Tuesday - Urban green spaces
- Wednesday - Urban heating and cooling
- Thursday - Urban metabolism and circularity
- Friday - Integration of the above themes
Target group
The Sustainable City is aimed at Master students (postgraduates), PhD students and professionals in urban studies and related fields that focus on sustainability.
Prerequisites: Participants should hold a Bachelor degree in a relevant field of study and should have demonstrated interest in urban sustainability.
Campus
This summer school takes place at Stadscampus (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp) of the University of Antwerp. This campus is located in the city centre.
Micro-credential and study credits (ECTS)
Successful completion of the summer school can be awarded with 3 credits according the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Credits will be awarded by the University of Antwerp based on:
- preparatory readings
- completion of the assignments
- 100 % (active) participation during the course
- final presentations
To include the credits in the curriculum at the home institution, participants need an agreement with the responsible person at their university. University of Antwerp students eligible to include the ECTS credits as part of their study programme must register via Mobility Online and SisA.
All certificates of completion are issued as a micro-credential. Participants who attend the scheduled course contact hours, but don't complete the tasks will receive a certificate of attendance.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will:
- understand the complexity of problems that contemporary cities face in transforming towards sustainability.
- be aware of the various disciplines that need to be integrated when tackling sustainable challenges in an urban context.
- know how to develop a common language to overcome the barriers of working together with people with a different nationality and cultural and educational background.