The meeting provided an opportunity to learn first-hand about the institution's working methods and strengthen ties with the aim of promoting several strategic lines of collaboration for the Aragonese capital. The mayor was accompanied by members of her government team, including representatives from the Urban Planning, Mobility and Environment, and Economy departments, reaffirming the cross-cutting vision with which the City Council is approaching the city's transformation.
The working day began with an extensive tour of the Norman Foster Foundation, where the Aragonese delegation explored its research center, valuable archive and all its international training initiatives focused on cutting-edge architecture and urban planning.
This was followed by a visit to the research center where the Master in Sustainable Cities is taught, a postgraduate program focused on providing practical solutions to the challenges facing major metropolitan areas. Finally, the meeting concluded with a working session during which the Foundation's various projects and research initiatives were presented in detail.
STRATEGIC COLLABORATION AREAS
The meeting resulted in the establishment of several avenues for collaboration. First, in the areas of academia and talent attraction, Zaragoza was selected as one of three cities worldwide that will host eight students from the institute's Master in Sustainable Cities. They will work directly on the ground in Zaragoza, addressing the challenges set by the city government.
Both institutions also discussed ways to apply the foundation's advanced tactical urbanism tools and methodologies to diagnosing Zaragoza's urban problems and developing innovative solutions through the City Pulse tool, which is powered by open data. In this way, the mayor was able to conduct real simulations and projections involving different aspects of the city, discovering the true potential this collaboration could hold for Zaragoza.
