USI joins the City of Lugano in China at the global summit on sustainable development and education

At the H20 Global River Cities Summit in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China, from 14 to 16 November an institutional delegation of the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland led by the Mayor of the City of Lugano Marco Borradori presented the developments in the field of sustainability in Lugano, with a focus on the academic research consolidated with the Zhejiang University. In addition to the renewal of the cultural exchange agreement for high school students (an initiative launched in 2008), the three-day event in Hangzhou offered the opportunity to showcase Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), with the presentation of the Master in Media and Journalism (IMeG) of the USI Faculty of Communication Sciences.

USI was represented by Dr. Gianluigi Negro, post-doctoral researcher at the China Media Observatory (CMO), who organized together with the Lugano delegation an information session with Prof. Chen Ling, Director of the School of Management at the University of Zhejiang, and with a number of faculty and student body members. The University of Zhejiang was established in 1897 and counts 53.000 students; it is ranked third among all universities in China and 68th in the world. In addition to presenting the USI Master in Media and Journalism, the activities of the Europe-China Dialogue: Media and Communication Studies Summer School were also illustrated, which is organized together with the School of Journalism and Communication of Peking University and held alternately in Lugano and Beijing.

The H20 Global River City Summit brought together 20 riverside cities from around the world that have experience in river development or have plans to do so. At the summit, representatives from these cities shared wisdom and experiences related to sustainable development, creating a new brand of river culture, promoting collaboration between cities around the world, bringing forth innovation-driven green development, and creating modern eco-cities that are great for working, living, and vacationing, especially in developing countries. The summit also served as a driver for accomplishing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals through the power of cities. For Lugano, Mayor Borradori presented the redevelopment of the Foce (river delta) and the ‘green range’, an area of 5km along the Cassarate River, from the Lugano Lake to the Piano della Stampa. The project was initiated from the need to ensure the hydraulic power and revitalize the river and its banks, while enhancing the functions of recreation in public space and slow mobility.