IDIL GRADUATE PROGRAM
Learning Through Research

TU : The City as a Laboratory: IDIL Students Explore Urban Sustainability in Montpellier

Published on in Education, Master's Programs, Non-Core

As part ofTU course “Urban Sustainability: Exploring Real-World Challenges in Montpellier,” students in the IDIL graduate program left the lecture hall for a hands-on immersion in the streets of Montpellier.

This course has been specifically designed to introduce students, regardless of their academic background, to the issues surrounding sustainability and the social sciences.

An interactive digital exploration

For a day, downtown Montpellier became an open-air classroom. Equipped with a geolocation app, the students followed an interactive route to observe and document the real-world challenges of sustainable urban development.

This innovative educational approach enabled participants to:

  • Connecting the local to the global: Linking on-the-ground observations to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on a global scale.
  • Develop new skills: Use digital data collection tools and strengthen collaborative work within multidisciplinary teams.
  • Analyzing Urban Resilience: Examining the ability of social and urban systems to adapt to the ecological transition.

Rich interdisciplinary exchanges

The module concluded with a particularly lively evaluation session. Far from a traditional exam, the students presented their hypotheses and key questions, sparking lively discussions.

These discussions highlighted the diversity of approaches within the IDIL program: drawing on their respective disciplines, each student offered a critical and complementary perspective on the complexity of urban issues.

Acknowledgments

The IDIL program would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to Valérie Borrell and Vanessa Vigano for leading this interdisciplinary educational initiative and for their dedication to this program.