Curriculum Development Workshop of the IMaREC

The 3rd workshop on the Curriculum Development of the Interdisciplinary Master Program “Resource Efficient Cities” (IMaREC) was hosted by ASU in Cairo, Egypt during the period 29th Feb – 3rd March 2016. Three partner universities of the CNRD network have participated in the workshop: TH Köln, Germany; KU, Kenya; and UASLP, Mexico.

The opening public seminar introduced IMaREC – as a part of CNRD activities – to more than 80 students (undergraduate and postgraduate), staff members and a representative of the DAAD Cairo office. Three initial presentations by professors from TH Köln, KU, and UASLP invited discussion on sustainable urban development, urban system metabolism, and the resource efficient city.

The workshop took place in a very constructive and friendly atmosphere and concluded by an excursion to SEKEM organization for organic industries as a role model for sustainable development. With inputs on system theory, creative thinking methods and didactics, the group produced a full curricular structure and the requirements of the M.Sc. program in terms of study tracks, levels, modules, credits, and awards. The drafted setup is built from core modules, three major track lines, a set of tools and methods modules, aligned with an interdisciplinary project module. The full program description with all technical terms and the detailed module handbook are currently under development to apply for approval with the authorities before end of March 2016 and subsequent accreditation, with the target to launch the full program this fall at ASU in Cairo, and to later roll it out to the CNRD partners.

IMaREC is an Interdisciplinary Master Program on “Resource Efficient Cities” that is currently jointly being developed by a number of partners including Ain Shams University, Egypt; TH Köln University of Applied Sciences, Germany; Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, Mexico; Kenyatta University, Kenya and Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia under the umbrella of the global CNRD-Exceed Network of excellence of universities.

IMaREC targets to qualify graduates and professionals who are involved in planning, design and management of cities with competences and skills that enable them to deal with real life problems and respond to current pressing challenges in cities using an integrated approach, given the principle of city as a system of all sectors to provide the basic functions for its inhabitants.