The International Conference on Urban and Town Planning concluding session took place at LCWU. International speakers from Germany, Iran, Turkey and France participated in the session.
The highlight of the day was the joint project between German and Pakistani universities:
The lead university of the project from Germany is TU Dortmund University, Department of Spatial Planning, Research Group Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning. The project is lead by Prof. Dr. Dietwald Gruehn, Chair of the Research Group Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning, who addressed the audience alongside the partners from Pakistan:
Prof. Dr. Shaker Mahmood
Chairperson, Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP), University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Atiq ur Rahman
Chairperson, Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP), Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), Lahore
Asst. Prof. Dr. Umer Khayyam
Departments of Architecture and Development Studies, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad
The project included the following activities:
- Development of curricula, teaching modules, and classes tailored to the local context while incorporating the latest scientific developments.
- Enhancing the qualifications and intercultural skills of students and young academics through discipline-specific and methodological cooperation, with a focus on gender equality.
- Establishing regional teaching and research networks with higher education institutions in one or more partner countries, including the involvement of non-university stakeholders.
- Maintaining networks between partner institutions and non-university actors to foster collaboration.
Workshops and Training in Germany
As part of the project, selected participants from Pakistan visited TU Dortmund University in Germany for summer workshops in 2022. This included:
- 16 Pakistani young academics, comprising:
- 4 Assistant Professors or Postdoctoral researchers
- 4 PhD students
- 4 Master's students
- 4 Bachelor's students
Certificates and medals were distributed among the participants to acknowledge their contributions to the project.
Prof. Dr. Dietwald Gruehn praised the efforts of the partner universities and expressed enthusiasm for continuing the partnership for another three years, with plans to secure additional funding for research and human resource development.
Prof. Dr. Uzma Quraishi, Vice Chancellor of Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), thanked the international speakers and partners for their support and collaboration in research and exchange programs. She highlighted the valuable contributions made by the university's faculty and students and encouraged them to play an active role in advancing the university's development.