Our university and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, supported by the VLIR-UOS scholarship, are carrying out a project aimed at strengthening the teaching of socioecological sustainability. The aim of the project is to train UPS professors and professionals in socioecological sustainability; there will be three new summer courses and a master’s degree program on sustainability aimed at architecture students.  This will provide future urban designers and planners the knowledge and skills necessary to address the challenges of Ecuador's rapid urbanization towards social and ecological justice.

The idea emerged from the International Training Program (ITP) 2023–2026; it is led by Viviana d'Aurea, professor of Human Settlements and Landscape at KU Leuven; Doris Andrade, director of the architecture undergraduate program in our branch campus in Quito; María Fernanda Viteri, director of the architecture undergraduate program in our branch campus Guayaquil; and Edgar Gordillo, director of the architecture undergraduate program in our branch campus in Cuenca. Professors Verónica Guerrero, Aurora Iza, Gabriela Barreto, Roberto Rangel, Carolina Sotomayor, Jaqueline González and Josué Vega were also there.

 
The project will last three years and is divided into three phases. The first, completed in February 2024 in Leuven, Belgium, was an intensive six-week training program which included master's modules and field visits to delve deeper into urban dynamics in relation to sustainability and the environment.

 
“As architects, professors and directors at Universidad Politecnica Salesiana, we are proud to be part of the VLIR-UOS Program. Working with Katholieke Universiteit Leuven represents a unique opportunity to promote sustainability and respect for the environment in the field of architecture,” said Verónica Guerrero.

Andrade described the course as an experience that allowed them to broaden their vision and enrich their pedagogical approach. “With the knowledge acquired and the support of a multidisciplinary team of colleagues and experts, we are prepared to implement everything we have learned in our classroom and create significant changes”.