Urban Quality of Life
The Future of Urban Living Spaces
INUAS concentrates on the role that universities of applied sciences play in urban development and initiates collaborative efforts and projects that focus on “urban and regional quality of life.” As such INUAS acknowledges its social responsibility and advocates development that is socially just, it promotes health and is environmentally responsible.
The list of past events related to this issue demonstrates the broad variety of activities in which the INUAS network engages and the potential unlocked by INUAS partners when their respective sets of expertise are brought together:
- 2016: Quality of Life Workshop – Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences
- 2017 and 2018: INUAS lecture series on the “Future of Urban Living Spaces” – ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
- 2017: INUAS Research Week “The Built and the Lived City” – FH Campus Wien University of Applied Sciences
- 2017: International Conference on Working Class Districts – FH Campus Wien University of Applied Sciences
- 2018: Summer School Smart Urbanisation – ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
- 2019: First part of the conference series Urban Transformations: Housing | Resources | Public Spaces: “Housing under Pressure: Dynamics Between Centers and Peripheries” – FH Campus Wien University of Applied Sciences
- 2021: Second part of the conference series Urban Transformations: Housing | Resources | Public Spaces: “Resources” – Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences
- 2022: Third part of the conference series Urban Transformations: Housing | Resources | Public Spaces: “Public Spaces” – ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Quality of Life Research at INUAS
Our universities are situated in growing cities that are regularly cited for their high quality of life. The dynamic development in these metropolitan areas, however, subjects their quality of life to constant change and challenges the sustainability of various urbanization processes. The network therefore interrogates the political, societal, and economic perspectives and interests that are connected to quality of life and examines the objective and subjective factors that play a role in determining it.
INUAS considers quality of life as a holistic orientation towards sustainable housing, working, and living conditions, participative and shared learning and sustainable social structures.
INUAS responds to the challenges posed by large cities undergoing transformative change with an inter- and transdisciplinary approach that combines economic, environmental, social, and technological perspectives. INUAS’ joint initiatives generate ideas for sustainably improving quality of life. They give further impulse to the design of living spaces for all people who live and work in the metropolitan areas in which our universities are located.
Concrete teaching activities and applied research provide a cornerstone in advancing the INUAS vision of a livable city. The “Urban Transformations: Housing / Resources / Public Spaces” conference series is one of the core activities that will be further expanded in future.
Quality of life is not something that can be directly created; it is the sum of a number of different factors. Above all, it takes the effort and work of local people and institutions to make an urban area livable. Therefore, I am very pleased to be able to share my European perspective and my experience in urban development and urban planning as well as education and housing policy with the INUAS network..
Hannes Swoboda
