European Commission Funds Sustainability Project
The European Commission, via the Interreg IIIB Programme for the Baltic Sea,has approved the “Baltic University urban forum”, an interdisciplinary project aimed at fostering capacity for sustainable development in Baltic cities via the active participation of universities. The project, which links some of the leading European universities active in the field of sustainable development, intends to act in the following areas:
Energy management – low energy houses, district heating, renewable fuels, solid waste incineration, biogas production.
Water management – treatment plants, ecological techniques and local on-site techniques, sludge management and recycling, urine separation, nutrient flows.
Waste management – waste sorting, recycling, composting, fermentation,waste incineration, waste trade, landfills.
Traffic and transport – especially developing bicycle options in a city.
Greenery and culture – parks, green corridors, biodiversity.
Rebuilding the city – especially developing grey and brown fields,harbour areas and waterfronts, urban healing and densification, rebuilding older areas.
Urban rural cooperation – nutrient flows, economic cooperation.
Sustainable communities – integrating the different aspects of sustainability especially in neighbourhoods such as ecovillages and garden cities.
Economic development – improving and establishing the local economy,especially in areas where large structural reforms have taken place in recent years.
Information education – information to the inhabitants is a crucial step in sustainable development, and an important democratic goal.
These areas not only cover most of the physical dimensions of sustainable development, but also its economic and social dimensions as well. Of special relevance is that the different dimensions of sustainability are interconnected. The University of Uppsala, assisted by the Technical University of Hamburg, will lead the capacity-building component of the project, which involves universities in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. Further information is available from the BEIDS office in Hamburg: beids@tutech.de
