SMACCS, PREPARATION OF A CURRICULUM AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN ERASMUS MUNDUS JOINT MASTER DEGREE IN SMART CITIES AND COMMUNITIES, A STEP TOWARDS EXCELLENCY FROM UMONS

European cities are forerunners in the transition towards a low carbon and resource efficient economy. A fast growing percentage (currently 72%) of the EU population lives in urban areas, using 70% of our energy. Quality of city life and the attractiveness of cities as environments for learning, innovation, doing business and job creation are now key parameters for success in the global competition for talent, growth and investments. Key challenges for Smart and Sustainable Cities are to provide solutions to significantly increase cities' overall energy and resource efficiency through actions addressing the building stock, energy systems, mobility, climate change, water and air quality. Such actions should bring profound economic, social and environmental impacts, resulting in a better quality of life (including health and social cohesion), competitiveness, jobs and growth. In this respect and according the aims of an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) it is expected the creation of such actions to contribute to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and of the Education and Training strategic framework 2020 (ET2020), including the corresponding benchmarks established in those policies. As a consequence of the above the preparation and development of an Innovative Joint Master Degree in Smart Cities and Communities in co-operation with another 3 European Universities (Spain, Greece, U.K.) and Industries should underpin this strategy and is further presented in this work.

The decay of the city of Mons due to the gradual disappearance of the local steel and coal industry in the region of Walloon along with the existing old medieval structure of the city itself resulted at the same time on a deterioration of the community and quality of life with higher unemployment rates in the city and its surroundings. In the last years and after a strong change and influence by the people represented by the current Major and ex-prime minister of Belgium made the city and the civilians to enhance the efforts of seeing again the city of Mons as one of the main cities to further progress to policies that include actions related with the concept of ‘Smart Communities and City’.

A strong partner in this effort is proved to be the University of Mons that has been a long time in the area, being the oldest engineering University in Belgium with a tradition of corresponding to the needs of the local/regional community. Thus after an organised effort by the city of Mons and the University of Mons this ‘common vision’ towards a new era for the community and the city of Mons is further expresses via the preparation and development of a proposal related with the creation of a unique Master degree that would be able to make again the city an important player in the area. It cannot be an option to allow a historic city getting into even more decline. One also should keep the initiatives for innovation and technological creativity in the EU order to withstand the concurrency from Asia. Based on this idea a future Master of Erasmus Mundus-programme people from all over the world will be able to enrol in the programme exchanging ideas, thus tackling a bit of the emerging harsh concurrency away.