New Transdisciplinary and Intercultural Approaches for Generating Ideas, Knowledge and Practices on Urban Dynamics – Learnings from the MSc Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design (IUSD) Between Cairo and Stuttgart

Abstract

Transformative education (WBGU 2016, UNESCO 2014) calls for innovative change in the knowledge production in the built environment field and is in search for new ways to facilitate shared learning and co-producing knowledge to address the complex urban reality. How this claim translates into collaborative teaching formats and methodologies and eventually manages also to addresses issues of power and conflict is often not made explicit. The MSc Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design Program (IUSD) addresses these challenges. It is based at Ain Shams University in Cairo and at University of Stuttgart and was jointly developed. It now shares 13 years of experience in expanding a transdisciplinary and intercultural approach in real-life settings. The approach is based on the principle that the strengthening of skills and competences to address future urban challenges require a real-world impact. This implies new and innovative methods of teaching and learning. In order to achieve these goals, the IUSD curriculum includes reality-based studios – in the case of Cairo these are ‘Integrated Case Study’ (ICS) projects that have generated over the years numerous impacts in communities and has expanded the knowledge base at both universities.