Partner countries – Germany, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China, Italy, Sweden, France, Denmark.

 

Graduation Courses – Anthropology, Ecology, Education, Geology, Geography, Geotechnics, Social Psychology and the Psychology of Work and of Organizations, Mathematics, Social Policy, Processes of Human Development and Health, Chemistry.

 

Urban issues are a hot topic in the world today, which is so strongly marked by urbanization. It is a subject with specific dynamics and processes that impact directly on the development of cities and has everything to do with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which mention the importance of making cities and human settlements more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The research in this theme covers technologies for the built environment, including new building materials and materials for urban and highway infrastructure, as well as urban mobility. From an environmental perspective, waste disposal, landfills, sewage and wastewater treatment, the use of water resources, energy, and environmental quality are all objects of study, as are environmental contaminants and the issue of health in urban settings. Numerical tools and models are also researched for the optimal design of structures and components used in the built environment and for simulating, modeling, and developing remediation processes for contaminated sites. Social dynamics in the urban setting are also studied from different perspectives – through the lenses of anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Quality of life in its broadest sense – involving social and person-environment interactions – is also addressed, as are issues relating to violence, suicide prevention, schools, urban rights, and urban art forms.

 

Subtheme 6.1. Environmental issues, technology, and sustainability

• The focus is on the multiple facets of urban development, such as: technologies for the built environment, like new building materials and materials for urban and highway infrastructure; urban mobility; waste disposal; landfills and sewage and wastewater treatment; water resources; energy and environmental quality; and health management in urban settings.

 

Subtheme 6.2. Urban social dynamics

• The approach of urban social dynamics from multiple viewpoints – anthropology, sociology, and psychology. The idea is to improve quality of life in cities in general, involving social and person-environment interactions, while also addressing issues relating to violence, suicide prevention, schools, urban rights, and urban art forms.