FOREWORD
“EXTREME CITY - CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE WATERSCAPE” IS THE TITLE OF THE LEARNING PROGRAMME HELD RECENTLY AT THE IUAV UNIVERSITY (VENICE, 3RD – 15TH APRIL 2010), AN INTENSIVE URBAN DESIGN PROGRAMME FUNDED BY THE EC THAT HAD AS ITS OBJECT THE CHANGES IN THE WATERSCAPE IN RELATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE VENETIAN LAGOON. THE INTENSIVE PROGRAMME HAS BEEN FUNDED AS PART OF THE ACTIVITY CONTEMPLATED BY THE LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMME, 2009. AN INTENSIVE PROGRAMME IS A SHORT TERM STUDY PROGRAMME AIMED AT BRINGING TOGETHER STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS FROM HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTES FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS IN THE EU. SOME FORTY DIPLOMA AND GRADUATE STUDENTS FOLLOWED BY PROFESSORS FROM THE SCHOOLS PARTNERING THE PROGRAMME (THE VENICE IUAV UNIVERSITY, ALONG WITH UPC BARCELONA, TU DELFT, KU LEUVEN) THAT FOR SOME TIME NOW HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING IN THE EUROPEAN MASTER IN URBANISM (EMU) TOOK PART IN THE INTENSIVE PROGRAMME. THE THEMES OF THE I.P. HAVE BEEN INTEGRATED WITH THE TEACHING PROGRAMS OF THE PARTNER SCHOOLS, TACKLING ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES – THE TERRITORIES OF SETTLEMENT DISPERSION – AND ASSUMING AN EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT APPROACH IN LINE WITH THE ORIENTATION OF THE EMU: THE SUBTITLE OF THE MASTER IS, IN FACT, “STRATEGIES AND DESIGN FOR CITIES AND TERRITORIES”. STARTING FROM THE GROUP OF PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS THAT HAS FORMED AROUND EMU, THE I.P. ALSO TURNED TO THE STUDENTS OF THE FIRST LEVEL MASTERS OFFERED BY THE 4 SCHOOLS OF THE CONSORTIUM. THE EMU STUDENTS, WHO ALREADY HOLD AN ARCHITECTURE, URBANISM AND CIVIL ENGINEERING DEGREE, WERE JOINED BY PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS FROM OTHER DISCIPLINES SUCH AS ENVIRONMENTAL, HYDRAULIC AND LANDSCAPE SCIENCES. THE GOALS OF THE INTENSIVE PROGRAMME HAVE BEEN TO DEAL WITH CHANGES IN THE WATER SPACE IN CLIMATE CHANGE CONDITIONS. 6