The City as a Built and Lived Environment

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and this proportion will continue to rise. Cities therefore offer an attractive living environment that attracts many people. However, this is also associated with negative effects such as the impact of the urban environment on human health, social inequalities, reduced diversity of experience and increased vulnerability to the effects of climate change. Cities are therefore a particular focus of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On the one hand, SDG 11, ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities,’ is dedicated to them, and on the other hand, they interact with numerous other SDGs and can be understood as a laboratory for the development of solutions to these goals, e.g., ‘No Poverty’ (SDG 1), ‘Good Health and Well-being’ (SDG 3), ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ (SDG 6), ‘Reduced Inequalities’ (SDG 10), ‘Climate Action’ (SDG 13), ‘Life on Land’ (SDG 15) and others.

The Leonardo module brings together researchers and teachers from various faculties at RWTH Aachen University who collaborate in the Built and Lived Environment profile area. In the lecture series, they present their perspectives on the challenges and solutions in future urban development. On this basis, students work in interdisciplinary groups to examine an urban space in Aachen that is undergoing transformation and develop ideas and guidelines for its future.