The Isar Workshop – Sustainable Urban Design in Dialogue with Nature and Community

Course Type: Applied Blended Challenge (ABC) Program

Duration and Timeline:

• Course components and contact hours:
  • 16 hrs. synchronous online (preparatory lectures, site introduction, tools & methods)
  • 32 hrs. on-site (field surveying, design studios, technical workshops, presentations)
  • 12 hrs. independent and group work (design development, mapping, reflection)
• Online component:
  27-30 April 2026, Europe/Skopje (UTC+1)
• On-site component:
  04-08 May 2026
  (Štip, North Macedonia)

 

Award, Credits and Certification

On successful completion of the course, participants will receive:

• 3 ECTS credits
• Certificate of Attendance issued by Goce Delčev University within the ACE2EU alliance

Organized by:

Lead University

Goce Delčev University (UGD), North Macedonia

Ekaterina Namiceva Todorovska
Vaska Sandeva
Vladica Nikolovska

Partner University

Lithuanian Engineering College (LIK – Lietuvos Inžinerijos Kolegija), Lithuania

Daiva Kraniauskienė
Marius Vaišnoras

External stakeholders that will be involved in the course:

• Municipality of Štip
• Ministry of Environmental and Physical Planning
• Local civil society organizations and environmental NGOs
• Community representatives and site stakeholders related to the Isar hill and riverfront

 

Course Description and Learning Objectives

“The Isar Workshop is an applied, interdisciplinary course focused on the sustainable redesign of public spaces through real-world practice.

Using the Isar hill and riverfront in Štip as a living case study, students explore how urban design, infrastructure, geodetic surveying, and environmental sustainability can work together to create safe, inclusive, and resilient learning and living spaces.

The course combines fieldwork, design studios, technical workshops, and stakeholder collaboration, allowing students to engage directly with the site and its challenges. Participants will work in international and interdisciplinary teams to develop spatial proposals that integrate pedestrian and road infrastructure, landscape design, cadastral and topographic analysis, and community needs.”

 

Course Structure
The Isar Workshop guides students through a complete learning journey, combining online preparation, an intensive on-site mobility week and reflective follow-up activities.

Online Sessions (Preparatory Phase)

27-30 April 2026

The online component prepares students for the on-site work by establishing a shared knowledge base and introducing the challenge. During these sessions, students will:

• Be introduced to the course theme, objectives and site context (Isar hill and riverfront)
  • Learn key concepts related to sustainable urban design, inclusive public spaces, mobility and environmental resilience
  • Receive introductory input on geodetic and cadastral surveying, topographic plans, infrastructure mapping and pedestrian/road design
  • Participate in online group discussions and preparatory tasks, including site analysis, precedent studies and team formation

 

On-site Sessions (Mobility Week)

Dates: 04-08 May 2026
Location: Štip, North Macedonia

The on-site component forms the core of the course. During this week, the Isar landscape becomes an open-air classroom where learning takes place through direct experience, collaboration and hands-on work.

Students will:

• Spend time on the Isar site, observing patterns of movement, terrain conditions and interactions between natural and built elements
  • Take part in hands-on surveying activities, learning how spatial data are collected and translated into design tools
  • Apply geodetic and cadastral methods, including cadastral measurements, preparation of topographic plans and mapping of underground infrastructure
  • Develop road and pedestrian design proposals focusing on safety, accessibility and sensitive integration into the natural and cultural landscape

Design studios and technical workshops will be guided by experts in engineering, urban design and sustainability. Students will also engage directly with local stakeholders — from municipal representatives to community members — to better understand real needs, constraints and expectations.

By the end of the week, teams will have developed concrete design proposals and contributed to a Joint Isar Action Plan.

 

Follow-up and Reflection Phase

Late May 2026

After the intensive on-site week, students are given time to reflect on their learning experience.

During this phase, students will:

• Prepare a short reflective report on their learning journey and teamwork
  • Finalise group outputs (design boards, maps and the Joint Isar Action Plan)
  • Where appropriate, participate in optional online presentations within the ACE²-EU network

This phase enables students to consolidate their knowledge and connect the workshop experience to their future academic and professional development.

 

Specific learning objectives include:

Students will:

• Develop an understanding of how urban design, infrastructure and environmental sustainability shape public spaces
  • Apply surveying, mapping and technical design tools directly on a real site
  • Develop inclusive design solutions improving mobility, accessibility and public safety
  • Strengthen their ability to work collaboratively in international and interdisciplinary teams
  • Transform concepts into realistic, context-sensitive design proposals responding to real constraints

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Analyse complex urban sites from spatial, environmental and technical perspectives
  • Design safe, accessible and inclusive pedestrian and road networks
  • Integrate natural and cultural landscape considerations into technical design
  • Develop and present realistic design proposals addressing environmental and community needs
  • Reflect critically on interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement

Which students would find this course useful for them?

This course may be suitable for students from ACE²-EU partner universities enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate programs in the following fields:

• Architecture and Urban Design
• Civil Engineering and Road Engineering
• Geodesy, Geomatics, and Cadastral Studies
• Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning
• Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Studies

 

This course may be suitable for those who have an interest in:

• Sustainable urban design and the creation of safe, inclusive public spaces
• Infrastructure, mobility, and pedestrian-friendly environments
• Geodetic surveying, mapping, and spatial analysis in real-world contexts
• The relationship between nature, landscape, and the built environment
• Collaborative and interdisciplinary design processes

 

Recommended Language Level: English B1–B2 (the working language of the course).

Application Process:

Interested applicants should:

🔗 Apply here: https://forms.gle/THG4u2D5WvhSW22h9

📅 Application deadline: 20/3/2026

 

Selection Process:
Each ACE²-EU partner university will nominate and select up to two (2) students to participate in this course.

Selected students will receive a notification of acceptance from their home university. Further organisational and mobility details will then be provided by the host institution.

 

Further Information

For any further information or queries related to the course, please contact:

ekaterina.namiceva@ugd.edu.mk