About the Environmental Unit
In order to construct sustainable cities, environmental challenges must be addressed immediately. Through the Academic Consortium promoted by the Center for Global Urban Cooperation (GCI ) of Yokohama City University (YCU), the Environmental Unit identifies and analyzes issues in Asian cities from an environmental perspective and proposes concrete and practical solutions.
The Environmental Unit analyzes various urban issues from an environmental perspective and contributes to their resolution through concrete and effective proposals.
The Unit will build collaborative relationships with universities, international organizations, and other stakeholders to contribute to the development of research and education in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Environmental Unit analyzes various urban issues from an environmental perspective and contributes to their resolution through concrete and effective proposals.
The Unit will build collaborative relationships with universities, international organizations, and other stakeholders to contribute to the development of research and education in the Asia-Pacific region.
Past Activities of the Environmental Unit:
1. Global human resources development
- Sustainable Urban Development Program (SUDP): Lectures and fieldwork were conducted for approximately one week at the sites of overseas partner schools until 2020. The SUDP was conducted at Thammasat University in Thailand in 2017, at the University of the Philippines in 2018, and at Hasanuddin University in Indonesia in 2019. Students from Japan, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and National University of Vietnam were invited to participate, with the number of participants each year ranging from approximately 30 to 70, including local students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 the three GCI Units (Environment, Urban Planning, and Public Health) have jointly conducted online programs lasting from one week to 10 days. In 2023, the SUDP was conducted face-to-face at Thammasat University in Thailand for the first time since the pandemic.
- Sustainable City Program (SCP): Through lectures, fieldwork, and group work on the theme of sustainable urban development, the SCP explored issues and solutions for cities of the future together with multinational students. The three Units jointly implemented the SCP program on February 3-8, 2019 and June 18-24, 2019. Students from more than 13 countries, including Germany, Canada, Sweden, Spain, Malaysia, and the Philippines, attended the SCP.
- Yokohama Urban Solutions Study (YUSS): Every year through 2020, the Environmental Unit has hosted graduate students and researchers from overseas for eight weeks of lectures, fieldwork, and research guidance on urban development issues in Yokohama and other cities. From 2017 to 2020, the Unit hosted a total of 13 graduate students and researchers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, Czech Republic, and Vietnam for the YUSS program. In 2021, the YUSS program was conducted online, with the three Units jointly hosting five students and researchers from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia for three months of lectures and research instruction. In 2022 and 2023, the YUSS program was implemented through a combination of online and in-person sessions.
2. International workshops and a symposium on climate change
- March 5, 2018 (open to the public): A workshop was held at YCU. Researchers from the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Japan introduced their countries' initiatives to combat climate change.
- September 12, 2018: A workshop was held in Manila, Philippines. Researchers from the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Japan, as well as speakers from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Lake Laguna Development Authority (LLDA), gave presentations on climate change initiatives and assessment frameworks.
- March 20, 2021 (open to the public): A workshop was held online. Researchers from Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Japan, as well as speakers from the City of Yokohama, gave presentations on initiatives to address climate change.
Upcoming Scheduled Activities
Research and International Collaboration
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The Environmental Unit plans to conduct international education and research programs as well as student overseas fieldwork. In addition to the climate change-related research that has been conducted through the IACSC network, the Environmental Unit will conduct research on sustainable use of water and natural resources in its international joint research. In order to advance this research, the Unit will hold regular study sessions with research members and will publicly announce research findings by holding international workshops.