The Urban Academy (for complex sustainability challenges) is a ‘collaboratorium’ in which policy makers, civil society actors, citizens, companies, academic staff and students think together about problem definitions and possible solutions, future visions and strategies, (living lab) experiments and upscaling initiatives, etc., and seek to translate these issues into concrete assignments for master thesis work, group writing assessments, policy-oriented research, etc. First of all, in this transdisciplinary setting students from different disciplines think and work together towards an ecologically sustainable and socially just city, but the Urban Academy can also function as a living lab. They only focus on wicked sustainability problems in the city of Ghent and/or at Ghent University.
De Stadsacademie focust op sociaal-ecologische problemen van de Stad Gent en de Universiteit Gent. Academici, studenten, beleidsmakers, middenveldorganisaties, etc. werken samen binnen inter- en transdisciplinaire onderzoeksprocessen aan probleemdefinities en mogelijke oplossingen, (living lab) experimenten en opschalingsinitiatieven, (beleids)rapporten en wetenschappelijke artikelen. Ons theoretisch en analytisch kader integreert sociaal-ruimtelijke, politiek-bestuurlijke, socio-technische en economische perspectieven.
