Designing with Lego: The Eco-Cities of Tomorrow Erasmus Project

Project Title

Designing with Lego: The Eco-Cities of Tomorrow

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

Context/Background:

In recent years, environmental issues and climate change have become an important issue of debate globally. Young people are demanding that politicians and adults around them take action now and avert a global catastrophe. One of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals relevant to the environment is SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. The UN SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
Youngsters4EcoCities aims to bring the SDG goals, particularly SDG 11 into the consciousness of young people aged 6-14. It will endeavour to improve the competences of teachers and educational staff by developing a curriculum and a training manual for them on SDG 11. As SDGs overlap, the training program will also touch on other SDGs such as: clean water and sanitation (6), climate action (13), life below water (14), life on land (15), etc.
Moreover, this project will be inspired by the teachings of landscape architect and city planner, Ian McHarg which puts the environment first in planning the development of a city. By teaching young people about ecological city planning, we instill in them the value of sustainable development early in life.
The project will provide teachers and educational staff with tools to develop young people’s understanding of natural systems, urban landscapes and ecological planning concepts and will involve the LEGO© Group by using Lego bricks in the training curriculum.

The objective of Youngsters4EcoCities are:
-To advocate for an ecological approach to urban planning which focuses on social and ecological priorities;
– To foster awareness raising and capacity building around sustainable development and particularly Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) through a large scale LEGO exhibition model of an ecologically planned city;
– To provide teachers and educational staff with tools to develop young peoples’ understanding of natural systems, urban landscapes and ecological city planning,
– To support and enhance the knowledge of young people within the fields of natural systems and urban landscapes, as well as ecological planning processes for them to acquire social, civic, and environmental competencies;
-To develop integrated non-formal learning material and innovative tools which will prioritize the need for a holistic understanding to resilient urban development;
-To strengthen teachers, educational staff and young people’s abilities to think critically on urban development issues; and
– To develop transversal skills and competencies in order to support quality education.

Number & Profile of participants
The main target group is teachers in primary schools and learning institutions. At least 20 teachers from the five partner countries will participate in the joint staff training event who will in turn roll out the curiculum to at least 3 classes of 20 pupils in each country (60 x 5 =300 pupils). The ultimate targets are the pupils themselves.
A secondary target are school principals and politicians who have the power to implement the concepts of the project on a larger scale .

Description of Activities & Methodology

Youngsters4EcoCities will develop a curiculum , on SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), that can be used in primary schools. This will be based on the the theories of Ian Mcharg (Design with Nature, 1969). The curiculum as well the the training materials and the training manual will endeavour to teach pupils the value of taking nature into account in urban planning. THe project has 3 outputs:
1) Curriculum on SDG 11 targeting pupils in the age of 6-14. The curriculum will focus on building sustainable cities.
2) Training Methodology and Manual for Teachers & Educational Staff: the methodology exemplifies the project’s paradigm shift through an integrated set of online interactive maps that will include the history of city-building techniques. The trainer manual provides teachers and educational staff with tools on how to teach both ecological urbanism and ecological building techniques.
3) E-learning portal: Development of a multilingual e-learning portal that will support the delivery of, and access to, all learning content produced.

The teaching of the environmental concepts will be done with the use of Lego bricks, and as such the partnership will work closely with LEGO.

At the end of the project. pupils will design their own concept of a sustainable city based on the realities of the local area. This will be exhibited at the multiplier events.

Results & Impact

Youngters4Ecocities will endeavour to improve the skills of teachers in teaching environment and ecology, contribute to the curiculum available for pupils on the environment and demonstrate how schools and the private sector can collaborate to deliver quality education.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 193523 Eur

Project Coordinator

FO-Aarhus & Country: DK

Project Partners

• MUNICIPIO DE LOUSADA
• SYNTHESIS CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION LIMITED
• Eco Logic
• WISAMAR BILDUNGSGESELLSCHAFT GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBH