ARDHI UNIVERSITY

African Centre for Sustainable Cities Studies

VLIR-UOS (Flemish Interuniversity Council – University Development Cooperation) is a Belgian organization that fosters international collaboration through education, research and capacity building. At Ardhi University, VLIR-UOS supports the Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) program, which aims to strengthen the university's capacity to address developmental challenges through sustainable partnerships and innovative research. The IUC partnership plays a vital role in Ardhi University’s mission to become a leading institution in education and training, research, innovation and societal outreach to realize the ambition of becoming an internationally recognized, inclusive, civic university that responds to societal and environmental problems. The  African Centre for Sustainable Cities Studies is the backbone of the project. VLIR-UOS subprojects support, the focus is on five (5) academic domains of change and two (2) transversal themes in line with SDG11 and the SDG’s in general.

IUC Partnership Goals

The aim of the IUC partnership is to ensure that by 2032, Dar es Salaam residents and policymakers benefit from increased capacity to address challenges that inhibit sustainability of cities (SDG 11).

The African Centre for Sustainable Cities Studies (ACS) will support inclusive civic society through training, research, innovation, and partnerships. The focus will be on 5 academic domains of change and two transversal strategies implemented in 3 well-chosen pilot sites.

Sub-Projects

Land Use Planning

Equipping planning authorities with new knowledge and technologies for sustainable urban and rural environments.

Decent Housing

Ensuring access to renewable energy, safe water, and sustainable building materials through innovation.

Socio-economic Development

Strengthening foodscape resilience and supporting women and youth entrepreneurs through research.

Urban Transport

Improving transport systems via research-driven policies for safer and more sustainable urban mobility.

Cultural Heritage

Managing architectural heritage sustainably with contemporary adaptive re-use concepts.

Gender & Participation

Promoting gender-sensitive approaches and community participation in developmental problem-solving.

ICT & Smart Cities

Establishing ARU as a center of excellence for smart, inclusive city solutions.

African Centre for Sustainable Cities Studies

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