Water Areas Vision for Europe (WAVE) – Integrated knowledge and visions for sustainable water landscapes in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Water Areas Vision for Europe (WAVE) – Integrated knowledge and visions for sustainable water landscapes in Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

The WAVE project consortium is going to develop a new course focusing on the sustainable development of water areas and floodplains in urban and peri-urban contexts in Europe. Our learning format will be the so-called WAVE Living Lab in combination with the international WAVE Online Seminar. The project addresses the pressing issue of sustainable development of water areas and floodplains in the urban and peri-urban environment.

Sustainable development of water areas and floodplains is still not achieving its full potential, although relevant policy is already in place. In order to address these profound sustainability challenges, we will set up a transformative educational programme with the following innovative elements:
– Synthesizing interdisciplinary knowledge about water areas and floodplains
– Active community involvement with a living lab approach
– Linking universities with local communities in joint learning environments
– Applying innovative methods for cross-sectoral assessment, strategy building and visioning for the sustainable development of water areas and floodplains
– Bridging analysis, strategy building and design by innovative ICT approaches (Geodesign)
– Foster the generation of innovative solutions by bridging disciplinary, sectoral and institutional boundaries under the common framework of water areas and floodplains

The WAVE programme aims at involving an interdisciplinary audience of students as agents of transformative change for the benefits of the local water landscapes. Disciplines involved are mainly geography, agriculture, ecology, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, architecture, social and urban studies.

WAVE is a cooperation of six universities and three NGO-partners. In addition, all universities will build up a collaboration with their local communities on water areas in the form of WAVE Living Labs. The following universities are collaborating:
Ovidius University Constanta, RO (applicant), Ion Mincu University Bucharest, RO, Estonian University of Life Sciences, EE, Nürtingen-Geislingen University, DE, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University, DE, University Federico II, IT and ULB Brussels, BE. The consortium includes further the following NGO partners: LE:NOTRE Institute (NL), ISOCARP Institute (NL), APUR (RO).

The project goals will be achieved by the following activities: (1) Development, testing and documentation of the WAVE methodology in partnership with local communities; (2) Building capacity of teachers to lead innovative inter- and transdisciplinary learning settings in Living Labs, (3) a series of blended learning activities combining student engagement in the local WAVE Living Labs, international reflection in the WAVE online course and international mobility of staff and students to one of the university’s ‘WAVE Living Labs ’ in the framework of five subsequent intensive study programmes.

Upon project completion the following results are expected:
(1) A tested, documented and transferable methodology and organisational framework for the ‘Wave Living Labs ’
(2) A tested, documented and transferable methodology for facilitating a web-based online course on integrated planning and design for sustainable water landscapes
(3) A significant development of water-related knowledge and transformative competence among everyone involved in the learning activities (students, staff and society partners)
(4) A network of ideas and actors emerging from the WAVE Living Labs as a basis for ongoing collaboration
(5) A Multiplier Event at mid-term of the project
(5) Web-based communication platform(s) and social media channels for the WAVE Living Labs, these are established locally, but also connected Europe-wide through the project’s NGO Partners, making use of web-GIS technology
(6) A shift in the mindsets considering the role of planners and designers and the design process itself, towards a more inclusive and participatory approach involving local communities as equal partners

WAVE is developed around the following four dimensions of innovation:
(1) The water area as a joint reference (Landscape Approach)
(2) Sharing different knowledge dimensions for a holistic understanding of water landscape dynamics (Interdisciplinary Approach)
(3) Involving the public and local stakeholders in the knowledge creation and visioning process in Living Labs (Transformative Approach)
(4) Bridging local and international learning processes by a combination of local field work, online education and platform development (Digital Approach)

The WAVE programme aims at involving an interdisciplinary audience of university staff and students as agents of transformative change for the benefits of the local water landscapes. Disciplines involved are mainly geography, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, architecture, social and urban studies. Another key target audience are local stakeholders and community members to be involved in the WAVE Living Labs.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 325991 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITATEA OVIDIUS DIN CONSTANTA & Country: RO

Project Partners

• HOCHSCHULE FUER WIRTSCHAFT UND UMWELT NUERTINGEN-GEISLINGEN
• UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
• EESTI MAAULIKOOL
• UNIVERSITATEA DE ARCHITECTURA SI URBANISM ION MINCU DIN BUCURESTI
• HOCHSCHULE WEIHENSTEPHAN-TRIESDORF
• STICHTING LE:NOTRE INSTITUTE
• Romanian Association of Urban Planners