GLOSUS PROJECT: Unveiling Sustainability's Local Realities
The GLOSUS project – "The Global Geographies of Sustainability: Local Knowledge, Everyday Practices, and non-professional Forms of Living and Housing" is an initiative funded by DAAD and CAPES, which marks a very significant collaboration between the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP) and the Institute of Geography at the University of Münster (UM).
The roots of GLOSUS trace back to the cooperative project 'wwu.usp,' initiated in 2015 under the UM’s Brazil Centre in collaboration with the International Office of USP (AUCANI), aiming to establish a sustainable strategic partnership between both universities.
Building upon the success of the second phase on the topic “Cities and Climate” from 2019 to 2021, GLOSUS ventures into a deeper exploration of sustainability, challenging global conceptions within local contexts.
The project seeks to go beyond the traditional discourse on sustainability by questioning the hegemonic global conception. Focusing on conflicts and debates surrounding sustainability, particularly in the realms of social justice and democratic decision-making at the local and municipal levels, the project aims to shed light on nuanced interpretations.
Centred around the main research horizon, GLOSUS encompasses individual projects by doctoral students and post-docs, critically examining sustainability formulations based on experiences in Brazil and Germany. The diverse urban landscapes of these countries provide a unique lens to reflect on growth, development, and the tension between these concepts.
The project actively fosters international collaboration, exemplified by a successful collaborative workshop in São Paulo in August 2023. The workshop aimed to establish connections between meanings and enhance understanding of sustainability. Field trips on the 24.08.2023 and on the 28.08.2023 to various locations (Diadema, Liberdade, Rio Branco, Grajaú and Vila Nascente) in São Paulo further deepened the exploration, linking environmental and social issues while unveiling the diverse challenges faced by different communities.
In November 2023, a working mission by FAU-USP professors Luciana Royer and Maria Lucia Refinetti Martins took place in Münster, strengthening the collaborative ties. Excitingly, study missions for 2024 are already in the pipeline, with two PhD students and one post-doctoral researcher confirmed for a visit to Münster.
GLOSUS is a dynamic exploration, a collaborative dialogue, and an endeavour to redefine sustainability within the intricate fabric of local realities.
For more details, read the full report.
