Urban Transformation in the Southern Levant

Project title: Urban transformation in the Southern Levant (UTitSL)

Background

The flux of modernization and the pressures of modern political conflicts are creating a rapid physical transformation of the urban landscape in the Southern Levant. This is exemplified by the explosive growth and transformation of metropolitan Ramallah, but also other cities in the region. 

As a consequence, there is a strong need for knowledge about causes and reasons of urbanization and urban transformation, mechanisms and trends, as well as long-term consequences and results. The project is thus designed to contribute to the understanding of long-term changes and the modern challenges of cities today.

Universities for development

The project goal is to strengthen the institutional capacity in higher education at Birzeit University, by focusing on research and education through the study of urban transformation in the Southern Levant. The project is designed in three pillars: research, education and dissemination. The intention is to broaden the studies in urban geography, combining issues of cultural and natural heritage, archaeology, history and anthropology. This multi-disciplinary approach suggests a sound response to a changing world, requiring new methods to document, analyse and teach.

The project will establish new MA and PhD courses/modules in the field of human geography and related social sciences, supervised by a pool of experienced professors representing different disciplines and departments at Birzeit University and the University of Bergen.

Research and dissemination

The project places high emphasis on research and strengthening the capacities of the academic environment in both teaching and research. The research will have a multi-disciplinary focus, and compare parallel trends in urban transformation across the Southern Levant.

The project will also integrated several activities related to quality dissemination and outreach awareness programmes targeting decision makers, local councils and civil society organisations.  This includes communication with policymakers, who tends to be technocrats trained in the hard sciences, the softer, human needs brought on the processes of rapid urban transformation. Thus the project seeks both to build the capacity of the academic environment and to reach out to those who live in and cope with the urban transformation process.

Key goals and achievements

Overall goal

To understand the past and present urbanization processes to help improve living-conditions, alleviate poverty and enhance urban planning in the Southern Levant

The objectives of the project are

1. Better qualified programmes in the field of human geography and related social sciences
2. Increased capacity to deliver high quality education in the field of human geography and related social sciences
3. Increased capacity to deliver relevant and high quality research in the file of human geography and related social sciences
4. Quality dissemination and outreach awareness programmes targeting decision makers, local councils and civil society organizations
5. Increased institutional capacity