Sustainable Urban Food Systems

The syllabus includes an interdisciplinary learning path of 6 credits designed and implemented by professors from the University of Padua, Sydney and Lausanne, together with local partners in the sector, who introduce a challenge and / or a case study on which students are encouraged to work and solve.

Summary of the syllabus
Urbanization, climate change, and globalized trade have profoundly reshaped food systems. Cities concentrate economic opportunities and innovation capacities, while also intensifying environmental pressures, social inequalities and vulnerabilities in food supply chains.

Food systems are currently overcoming multiple planetary limitations, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, land degradation and water pollution. At the same time, malnutrition, obesity, food insecurity and food injustice persist in both high- and low-income settings.

Urban food systems sit at the intersection of agriculture, public health, economic development, environmental protection and social inclusion. Their transformation requires coordination between levels of governance and stakeholders, from producers and distributors to consumers and policymakers.

International reports, including recent work by the HLPE, the IPCC and the EAT-Lancet Commission, highlight the urgent need to redesign food systems to ensure resilience, sustainability and equity. Cities are increasingly recognized as crucial areas for the implementation of this transformation.

Partner
ICPU is a collaborative syllabus designed and implemented by three internationally renowned universities : the University of Padua (Italy), the University of Sydney (Australia) and the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). The 2025/26 edition is hosted by the University of Lausanne. The working groups are composed of a mix of students from the three universities mentioned (up to 75 students, 25 from each university). During the project, external partners (industries, community organizations, other stakeholders) are also involved, who will provide the practical cases on which the students will then go to work.

Format
The syllabus combines online activities with educational visits and face-to-face lessons at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Timing detail

Week 1: 29 - 4 July 2026 - remote work (online)
Weeks 2 and 3: 6 - 17 July 2026 – travel and face-to-face lessons in Lausanne, Switzerland
Week 4: 20 - 26 July 2026 : Remote work (online)

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the syllabus, students will be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate critical awareness and apply disciplinary knowledge, skills, and personal attributes to address complex real-world problems.
LO2. Evaluate and integrate different stakeholder perspectives to generate innovative insights on complex problems.
LO3. Select and apply approaches and methods for solving complex problems in a targeted manner.
LO4. Communicate new ideas effectively and persuasively in professional contexts, using relevant media.
LO5. Demonstrate professionalism (competence, adaptability and proactivity) in collaborative project work.

Contacts: virtual.exchange@unipd.it

Supervisor: Mara Thiene
Co-supervisors: Roberto Antonietti, Martino Cassandro, Caroline Clark, Francesca Gambino, Luigi Marfè, Alex Martucci, Zuleika Murat, Marco Patruno, Enrico Zucchi

Info Day Tuesday 24 March 2026 - Slide
Webinar

Info Day Tuesday 21 April 2026 - Silde
Webinar

Useful information and applications
When: June 29 - July 26, 2026
Where: University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Cost: Participating students receive Erasmus+ funding for mobility and travel

Applications are open until April 30, 2026, 1 p.m.
The syllabus is part of the Global Intensives call