The 19th ASEF Summer University (ASEFSU) took place on 9-21 August 2015 at Symbiosis International University, Pune, India. It addressed the multifaceted and complex challenges stemming from rapid urbanisation, which is increasingly visible across both Asia and Europe. Cities are home to more than 50% of the world’s population and face a plethora of issues such as social inequity, poor governance, underemployment, congestion and pollution. Heritage cities face an additional particular predicament: that of building synergies between economic development and heritage conservation to ensure sustainable urbanisation.
ASEFSU offered a solution-centred platform for exchange of ideas and practices while engaging in intercultural collaboration addressing urbanisation and protection of cultural heritage. In particular the project aimed to:
- Facilitate dialogue and on-site projects that connect the participants and the local community
- Train the participants to enhance their creative thinking and hands-on skills by offering a programme which integrates social, economic, environmental, technological and artistic elements
- Create models and software prototypes for the local community which enhance heritage preservation in the process of urbanisation (e.g. mobile applications, websites, business plans, open source codes, etc.)
- Produce an e-publication and multimedia online-databank which include best practises, recommendations and the deliverables from the project
The topic of the future of cities sits high on the cultural agenda of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), as evidenced by the focus of the recently held 6th ASEM Culture Ministers’ Meetings (ASEM CMM6). ASEFSU addressed this ASEM priority and also built on ASEF’s previous work on urban heritage management including ASEF Experts’ Meetings and Public Forums on:
- Investing in Heritage Cities: Stimulus for Sustainable Tourism and Livelihoods
(June 2013, Myanmar) - Managing Heritage Cities in Asia and Europe: the Role of Public-Private Partnerships
(July 2012, Indonesia) - The Cultural Heritages Of Asia And Europe: Global Challenges And Local Initiatives
(September 2010, Netherlands)
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