Assessable aspects: specializations

OBJECTIVES AND STRANDS OF ACTION
ANNEX I: CONSTRUCTION
ANNEX II: HOME
ANNEX III: PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
ANNEX IV: SOCIAL SETTING

SPECIALIZATIONS: OBJECTIVES AND STRANDS OF ACTION

Introduction

The goal of CAMPUSHABITAT5U is to promote and revitalize a process of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth which is based on knowledge, innovation, creativity, the efficient use of resources, employability and social and territorial cohesion.

The primary characteristics of CAMPUSHABITAT5U are as follows:

Alliances: To create a unified campus in the Valencian Community (CV) for the purpose of combining efforts and sharing knowledge
Specialization: To develop a project of excellence that is unique in Spain in the field of Habitat and Territory
Interdisciplinarity: To develop a multi-sector, multi-disciplinary campus – a campus based on the involvement of different economic sectors and a variety of academic disciplines
Internationalization: Increasing international visibility of teaching and research, attracting talent and solidifying the network of alliances

In short, it is a Valencian Community Campus that as a whole combines efforts and shares knowledge to develop a project of excellence in the sphere of Habitat and Territory.

In the last two decades the economy of the CV has undergone constant growth driven primarily by the residential construction sector and ancillary market activities. However, this growth has been uneven and is not sustainable in the long run. Marked dependence on the construction and tourism sectors has meant that the global economic crisis has taken a tremendous toll on the CV, even heavier than that experienced by the rest of Spain, and especially with regard to its impact on employment.

Table 1 shows the significant decrease in people employed in the construction sector over the past four years.

Table 1: Survey on active population in the Valencian Community (in thousands)

Indicator	2007	2008	%Var 08/07	2009	% Var 09/08	2010	% Var 10/09	% Var 10/07
Employed population	2.249,1	2.188,1	-2,7%	2.005,5	-8,3%	1.927,1	-3,9%	-14%
Agriculture	81,7	75,5	-7,6%	60,1	-20,4%	59,8	-0,5%	-27%
Industry	428,3	387,5	-9,5%	330,0	-14,8%	319,1	-3,3%	-25%
Construction	316,6	251,1	-20,7%	214,8	-14,5%	185,2	-13,8%	-42%
Services	1.422,5	1.474,0	3,6%	1400,6	-5,0%	1.363,0	-2,7%	-4%
Unemployment rate	9,0%	14,9%		22,0%		23,4%

Furthermore, the next table shows the intensity of the decrease in housing construction in recent years.

An advanced economy such as that of the Valencian Community can only compete by means of quality, differentiation, creativity and reputation. But this does not only affect goods produced and services provided; it also has social and cultural repercussions as well as consequences for both urban and rural areas.

Therefore, the Valencian Community must have the following fundamental conditions in place:

High-quality regional organization;
A preserved and enriched natural environment;
Educational, health and cultural services supplied in accordance with demand;
Social and territorial cohesion;
A balanced urban system;
Sustainable construction and innovative housing.

The combined efforts and knowledge of the Valencian Public University System (SUPV) and the major stakeholders in the region in the spheres of Habitat and Territory through education, research, creativity, the attraction of talent and internationalization play a key role in facing this challenge.

Opportunity and strategic character

The following strategies of international, national and Valencian organizations and governments are included among the objectives of the CAMPUSHABITAT5U project:

United Nations Habitat

Created in 1978, its mission, in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly mandate, is to promote social and environmentally sustainable cities with the goal of providing adequate housing for everyone.

The 2008-2013 strategic plan establishes supporting governments and their affiliates as a general strategic objective to develop more sustainable urban development in cities and their surroundings, offering all citizens adequate housing, basic services, safety and employment opportunities, regardless of age, sex or social status.

Europe 2020 Strategy

In March 2010, the European Commission established the objectives for Europe 2020.

Europe faces a moment of transformation. The crisis has wiped out years of economic and social progress and exposed structural weaknesses in Europe’s economy. The Europe 2020 Strategy constitutes a vision of the social market economy of Europe for the 21^st century that sets out three mutually reinforcing priorities:

Smart growth: developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation. Among other objectives, it aims to refocus the R&D&i policy on the challenges that our society is facing, developing a strategic research agenda focused on great challenges such as:
- energy security
- transport
- climate change
- resource efficiency
- health and ageing
- environmentally-friendly production methods
- land management
Sustainable growth: promoting a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy
Inclusive growth: fostering a high-employment economy delivering social and territorial cohesion.

Rethinking Construction Report

In the United Kingdom, the government set up a committee of experts to draft a report for the purpose of improving the quality and efficiency of construction in the UK, contributing new ideas for change and innovation in the sector. The committee’s report focused on four objectives:

Quantifying the improvements in efficiency that must be made in the construction sector in order to achieve viable objectives in terms of quality and efficiency and quantifying the extent to which such improvements can be adopted by the construction sector.
Examining current practices and where improvements can be made through innovation in products and processes.
Indentifying specific measures and good practices that will help achieve more efficient construction in terms of quality and client satisfaction, delivery of the final product and value.
Identifying projects that help to show improvements that can be achieved through the application of best practices.

Spanish Sustainable Economy Act

The objective of the law is to create conditions that favour sustainable economic development. In other words, it aims to form “a growth pattern that reconciles economic, social and environment development in a productive and competitive economy, that fosters quality employment, equal opportunities and social cohesion and that guarantees respect for the environment and the rational use of natural resources that will allow the needs of current generations to be met without compromising the possibilities of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The promotion of a sustainable economy will be guided by the following principles (among others):

Improving competitiveness through education, research, innovation and internationalization (among others).
Fostering the innovative capacity of companies through a research and innovation support policy that promotes innovative companies and industries as well as the renovation of traditional sectors for the purpose of increasing competitiveness.
Promoting energy savings and efficiency to reduce costs and preserve natural resources.
Promoting clean energies, reducing emissions and effectively treating waste.
Streamlining residential construction to meet the needs of the population, restore existing housing and urban centres, protect the environment and use economic resources in a rational manner.
Extending and improving the quality of education and promoting lifelong learning as instruments for improving social cohesion and the personal development of the citizenry.
Strengthening and guaranteeing social status through the parallel advancement and harmonization of economic progress with improved social services and the sustainability of their funding in areas of social cohesion.

Territorial Strategy of the CV

The Territorial Strategy of the CV is the instrument that defines a territorial model for the future of the Valencian Community with the maximum degree of consensus among the social stakeholders in the region. Its purpose is to achieve a more economically competitive territory that is more respectful to the environment and more socially inclusive.

The strategic vision of the Territorial Strategy is to make the CV a territory with the highest quality of life in the region of the European Mediterranean Arc. To accomplish this, the strategy lays out 25 objectives, including the following:

To maintain the diversity and internal cohesion and organization of the network of cities.
To improve living conditions in the rural network.
To inclusively and creatively manage the environmental heritage of the region.
To be the most efficient territory in Europe in the management of water resources.
To minimize to the furthest extent possible the effects of natural hazards and incidents.
To recover the coastline as a territorial asset.
To promote a tourist model in keeping with sustainable territorial guidelines.
To protect and value the countryside as a cultural, economic, and identifying asset.
To efficiently apply instruments of territorial equity.
To inclusively and creatively manage the cultural heritage of the region.
To prepare the territory to adapt to and combat climate change.
To foster the appreciation of new potential energy sources within the region.
To create a territorial environment that is favourable to innovation and creative activities.
To improve the external and internal connectivity of the territory.
To meet the transport needs in the territory efficiently and inclusively.
To make the implementation of infrastructure compatible with the protection of the values of the territory.
To improve social cohesion throughout the territory.
To use territorial planning to ensure access to housing.
To define rational and sustainable land use guidelines.
To provide sufficient and appropriate land for the development of economic activity.

CAMPUSHABITAT5U: Habitat and Territory

CAMPUSHABITAT5U is developing a unique project of excellence in Spain in the area of Habitat and Territory:

Habitat

Definition: The environment or space in which a human being lives, the conditions and place in which he or she lives and is raised and where the different objects and structures of which it is made up are located.

One of our primary human needs is to construct, furnish and ensure the optimal operation of our habitat. The construction and production of the numerous materials and components that make up our habitat are fundamental to its existence.

In recent years, our habitat has undergone a significant number of changes:

Changes in our habitat itself at a basic level (city, home, product)
Changes in housing units (family models and shared housing)
Changes in the market (purchasing experiences, new techno-social environment and virtual markets)

Therefore, in addition to being a key component to our quality of life, our habitat plays a key role in the vitality of the economy. And this is why CAMPUSHABITAT5U aims to become a revitalizing factor for:

emerging activities such as smart devices, new renewable energies, new construction materials and bioclimatic architecture.
traditional activities that must adapt to new needs and construction criteria, tastes, providing new opportunities to renovate their products, technologies and markets.

Taking societal well-being, the protection of the environment and the balanced use of available resources as its fundamental criteria, CAMPUSHABITAT5U aspires to become a benchmark centre in innovative solutions, participating in the creation of wealth that activities related to our habitat will give rise to. To do this, the following principles must be adhered to:

Streamlining the use of available resources (energy, water, materials) by means of appropriate reuse, recycling and the efficient use of such resources as well as of renewable resources.
Preserving the environment through appropriate land use, waste management and the prevention of emissions.
Harmonizing human activities with natural systems.
Enabling buildings themselves to generate the energy they need.
Obtaining and maintaining healthy environments inside buildings.
Housing flexibilityorientated towards:
- Personalizing housing through initial flexibility in which the user can define the characteristics of the dwelling before the work has been done.
- Continually adapting to increasingly changing and instable housing situations.
- Creating flexible spaces that can be used for a variety of functions.

Territory

Definition: a set of physical components and elements resulting from human activity and the relationships established between them in a specific spatial setting and historical period.

Territory, as an asset that is inherently and necessarily tied to physical location, is a key factor in economic competitiveness. In the global economy, as mobile factors such as capital, work and the flow of merchandise, people and ideas increase, the territorial factor takes on increasing importance as well.

CAMPUSHABITAT5U aims to become a driving force in the configuration of a unique territory to create a strong economic hub with a high degree of diversity and technological and innovative content, whose objectives will focus on:

concentrating the innovative activities which generate the most added value;
attracting the most talented human capital;
improving quality of life and the landscape and creating an environment with personality and an active urban life;
and fully involving institutions in the development of the territory, providing educational systems that promote creativity and values such as diligence, tolerance and diversity.

To accomplish this, CAMPUSHABITAT5U will prioritize the following objectives as fundamental components in sustainable territorial development and improving citizen well-being:

The rational use of the territory’s resources and of energy resources available in the territory in order to reduce the emission of contaminants and the production of waste to the furthest extent possibleThe territory is a limited resource that sustains the socio-economic system from a physical standpoint (provider of foods, energy, raw materials, etc.) and well as from a functional perspective (regulator of natural flows, maintenance of ecosystems, etc.).Improving the quality of life of the citizens of the CV requires the rational consumption of natural and energy resources, reducing contaminating emissions and the production of waste to the furthest extent possible and, consequently, preventing all of the negative externalities that represent an economic and social burden for the population as a whole and threaten the capacity of the territory to absorb them.

Rational guidelines for land use and the organization of green infrastructure (a system that includes all the most highly valued environmental, rural and cultural spaces as well as those considered critical due to their susceptibility to natural hazards and incidents), which structure the territory and organize new spatial growth based on efficiencySustainable growth represents a fundamental pillar in the competitiveness of the territory. It means leading the development of new processes and technologies, including green technologies, to accelerate the advancement of smart networks in the country as a whole and reinforce competitive advantages of companies and initiatives in the knowledge society.

Clusterization capable of generating innovative processes in the territory through the development of creative activitiesOne of the goals of CAMPUSHABITAT5Uis to attract highly talented human capital to generate a considerable specific critical mass and an environment conducive to innovative activity, from the point of view of both supply and demand. It will also be necessary for its institutions to be fully involved in the development of these territories, providing educational systems that promote creativity and values such as diligence, tolerance and diversity and the culture of quality.Fostering creativity and innovation will give rise to business projects with values consistent with a generation prepared for change and new ideas in the knowledge society.The territory must function as an ecosystem open to global flows with a capacity for:
- consolidating innovation
- attracting talent
- generating new business initiatives
- identifying the demands and needs of society
and doing all of this within new market segments in the areas of action of CAMPUSHABITAT5U.
Identity:The assets that reinforce the leading role of a territory within a global market include:
- cultural landscapes;
- natural spaces featuring great biological diversity;
- high-quality urban landscapes;
- components of architectural heritage;
- leadership at the service of the progress of the territory.
Territories with personality, capable of differentiating themselves from others through their environmental, rural, cultural and social values are better prepared to develop innovative processes and to attract talent and investment.
Social inclusion: There can be no sustainable well-being without opportunities in the territory for all citizens to suitably develop their life projects. Sufficient education and training, social cohesion, housing policies – these are just a few of the areas that must be guided towards achieving better living conditions for the population and the necessary increase in social capital and employability.

Therefore, balanced growth comes together with the term that has recently become so popular – “sustainable development”, which is intimately linked to the economic, social and environmental aspects of any activity. It is a concept that requires the coordination of strategies and cooperation as part of a decisive process. At the core of growth or development is the need to consider “three pillars” as one: society, the economy, and the environment. People, habitats, and economic systems are interrelated.

Action Areas

CAMPUSHABITAT5U’s teams of academics and professionals are involved in the development of innovative and prestigious international excellence projects with socio-economic repercussions in the area of Habitat and Territory. These generally are the result of collaborative efforts of individuals and teams from the different institutions participating in CAMPUSHABITAT5U.

However, the alliance was not built upon a joint strategic policy until now. CAMPUSHABITAT5U aims to develop a collective project in education, research, knowledge transfer, innovation, creativity, the attraction of talent and internationalization in the sphere of Habitat and Territory.

To this end the project enjoys the participation not only of the five universities of the SUPV, but also the involvement of CV institutions that carry out R&D&i activities, which gives the project a component of scientific excellence to make CAMPUSHABITAT5U a benchmark centre in Europe and the rest of the world in the sphere of Habitat and Territory.

The following is a summary of the stakeholders and activities that interact from their different areas of speciality in the sphere of Habitat and Territory:

CAMPUSHABITAT5U establishes four action areas for the development of a joint strategic policy in Habitat and Territory:

The alliance and coordination of the strengths of the SUPV as a group, of the technology institutes of the CV and the business sector in the sphere of Habitat and Territory are key in achieving scientific and teaching excellence for the purpose of making CAMPUSHABITAT5U an international benchmark in research, education and innovation in the planned areas of action.