IN-PERSON Lisbon Livable Cities. Section A

Abstract

Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme allows students from various countries to have a short-term international training course. BIP Urban Transformation and Public Safety, starting in 2022, is a joint venture between the University of Porto (Portugal), Inholland University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Università di Pisa (Italy), and is focused on how the understanding of place metrics, urban design and socio-spatial visual analysis at various scales can help make urban spaces safer. Following the principles of Environmental Criminology and the Geography of Crime, classes during a one-week period cover theoretical backgrounds; network, visual and micro-scale analysis tools; and CPTED-related checklists applied to a given case-study. This paper focuses on the 2024 edition, which occurred in early October in Porto. With over 70 students and 8 professors from the participating countries, we discuss pedagogical methodologies and challenges, as well as learning outcomes. It is important to understand how international students from different backgrounds related to engineering, design, planning and geography can quickly develop interdisciplinary and interpersonal skills. But in a larger sense, this multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary vision can also be important to put into action systematic methodologies for designing safer spaces. Consequently, we also discuss the experiences students had of presenting their findings to the Municipality of Porto. This interaction at various levels – between countries, between scientific areas, and between the Academia and Administration – allows building partnerships for the (personal) development of future global professionals, able to understand how livable cities can be designed and monitored.