Sustainable bio-climatic revitalization of abandoned urban space

<< Background >>The effect of climate change on the activation and preservation of green spaces within cities prompted the project’s undertakings. The lack of attractiveness, functionality, and safety of certain spatial areas leads to both developmental encroachment and underutilization in many urban zones. Organizational and financial limitations are also prevalent in enabling local citizens to take advantage of such revitalized spaces.This project focuses on the Skopje Aqueduct with the intent of creating a more positive interaction between space and people. Fundamental goals included public site reactivation alongside environmental sustainability, preservation of the cultural heritage, biodiversity and raising civic engagement toward ecological spaces within the city.Through active learning approaches involving site-specific environmental assessments, students were equipped with skills necessary to build sustainable urban areas. Alongside, the gaps created by the lack of formal architectural and urban planning teaching in bio-climatic design, sustainability, and environmental education were addressed.The result was achieving enhanced functionality of public spaces, interaction among citizens, and promotion of greener, sustainable cities.<< Objectives >>The project aims to enhance the connection between teaching, research, and the practice of architecture and urban design by developing international academic partnerships and fostering scholarly and pedagogical excellence. It also aimed to improve mobility and integrate formal and informal methods of teaching and learning in architecture, especially in the areas of climate action and sustainability. The project facilitated knowledge transfer in sustainable bio-climatic urban revitalization and green public spaces by organizing study visits, research exchanges, and collaborative development of a GUIDE (vol.1) on environment and climate change. The GUIDE (vol.1) was subsequently applied in a 10-Day Summer School conducted with students and mentors from five countries, during which participants formulated conceptual solutions informed by the guide’s content. Awareness-raising, visibility, and dissemination activities during the project contributed toward achieving a sustained impact long after the project’s completion. It is anticipated that the knowledge and practices developed during the project will meaningfully influence environmental education and urban planning in the region.<< Implementation >>In the period of implementation, the project undertook a range of interrelated academic and training activities. It started with the Skopje Kick-Off Meeting at the University of Mother Teresa in January 2024, where the project scope and objectives were synchronized. After this, there were four international staff training visiting: IUAV Venice (3–5 April), University of Maribor (17–19 April), Bauhaus Dessau (23–24 May), and University of Thessaly in Volos (11–13 June). These visits were focused on sharing of knowledge, experience, and developed strategies for sustainable bio-climatic urban revitalization and climate sensitive urban planning. A key highlight was the 10-day International Summer School held in Skopje on 19–29 September, where students and mentors from five countries came together to collaborative and propose concepts using the GUIDE (vol.1) developed prior. By the end of the project, the Scientific Monography (vol.2) was published alongside a short documentary capturing the journey and themes of the project. The last activity was the Closing Event and Exhibition at IUAV in Venice in March 2025 which showcased the resulting outcomes and impact of the SBRAUS project.<< Results >>The SBRAUS project achieved a meaningful and positive impact by developing a GUIDE (vol.1) to combine the outcomes of international staff training visits. The GUIDE (vol.1) focused on several issues including the environmental laboratories research, sustainability, urban space revitalization, and green public space design. It was implemented during the International Summer School for students from five countries where, mentored, the students proposed four models for the Skopje Aqueduct site remodel. These models illustrated the combination of research, design, and eco-sensitivity. The participants also published a professional Monography (vol.2) capturing the design and academic work of participants which were derived from the project’s documents and materials. The project’s journey and themes were captured in accessible documentary format. Through SBRAUS’s active dissemination such as during the online and print media and the final exhibit in Venice, the project raised awareness towards sustainable urban transformation. The web page also shows all the results completed during the period of 18 months.