EQUALCity
Networking Green and Innovative Development Consultation Labs for Equal, Resilient, Human-Centred Urban Communities
Programme: ERASMUS2027
Topic: ERASMUS-EDU-2025-CBHE-STRAND-2
The EQUALCity research project ("Networking Green and Innovative Development Consultation Labs for Equal, Resilient, Human-Centred Urban Communities") officially launches as part of the ERASMUS 2027 program and the "Capacity Building in Higher Education (Strand 2)" sector. It is being implemented by the Energy Management in the Built Environment Research Lab (EMBER Lab) of the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. The Technical University of Crete is the coordinating body, and the project will run for three years. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of Higher Education Institutions in the Southern Mediterranean region by transferring knowledge and experience in the area of sustainable urban development. The project's actions focus on advancing teaching staff's skills and comprehensively upgrading curricula across educational institutions in South Mediterranean countries by implementing advanced teaching methods, enhancing research and innovation, and fostering international collaboration. The European partners will actively participate in developing new curricula and modernising existing ones, with an emphasis on sustainable urban design.
The objectives of EQUALCity will be accomplished by:
• Establishing six Consultation Centres across Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan to assist policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders in the making of a comprehensive urban policy.
• Developing six Urban Digital Labs located in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia, equipped with advanced technologies like Geographic Information Systems -GIS, Artificial Intelligence -AI, and applications of smart cities.
• Implementing six Pilot Urban Innovation Projects in selected cities across Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan.
• Developing eight new curricula, which will be conducted to build capacity in sustainable urban development. Two of these programs will occur at partner European universities, while six will be held at beneficiary universities in Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan.
• Modernising and updating twelve Urban Curricula to align with the latest trends in sustainable urban planning and climate resilience.
• Organising six Technical and Administrative Workshops in Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan to equip participants with the tools and knowledge needed to deal with the consultation centres and the Urban Digital Labs.
The consortium consists of: Technical University of Crete (EL), Izmir University of Economics (TR), Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (EG), Nahda University (EG), Al-Balqa Applied University (JO), Aqaba University of Technology (JO), University of Manouba (TN), University of Carthage (TN), and Centre de Calcul El Khawarizmi (TN).
Through cross-sector collaboration and alignment with EU priorities, EQUALCity offers a valuable opportunity for educational advancement and encourages social inclusion by reducing regional disparities and ensuring equitable access to urban services for all citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status.
Project Coordinator: Prof D. Kolokotsa
Project Manager: Dr T. Glytsos
