The University Union brings together 20 universities from all over the country that offer education in the field of spatial management. The goals of its operation are as follows:
- integrating the scientific, teaching and professional communities around vital issues of developing highly qualified staff for practice in the field of spatial management,
- improving the teaching process taking into account contemporary global trends in university education, as well as current and expected future needs of practice,
- taking actions to shape a positive image of graduates of spatial management in the environment of potential employers.
The meeting at the University of Lodz will take the form of a series of workshops in response to the dynamically changing reality (including artificial intelligence, climate change, demographic challenges, changes in the system foundations in development planning and spatial planning), which is of significant importance for educational programmes in the field of spatial management. These changes require redefinition of both content and teaching methods. The workshops will serve to develop recommendations for improving the teaching process and indicating directions for the development of staff in the field of spatial management. An important aspect of the workshops will be the confrontation of the results developed by academics with solutions indicated by students and establishing direct contacts and cooperation between the event participants.
The content-related and financial partners of the event are:
- Polish Academy of Sciences and the Committee for Spatial Economy and Regional Planning operating within it;
- Faculty of Economics and Sociology and Institute of Urban and Regional Studies and Planning at the University of Lodz.
The meeting of the University Union will also be one of the elements of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Faculty of Economics and Sociology of the University of Lodz, which falls in 2025. The meeting is organised by the team of the Department of Regional Economics and Environment of the University of Lodz.
Edit: Dr Jakub Zasina