Baerbel
Mueller and Daniil Zhiltsov, [Applied] Foreign Affairs, awarded Africa-UniNet project funding by the BMBWF
19.
August 2025
Congratulations to Baerbel Mueller and Daniil Zhiltsov of [Applied] Foreign Affairs
at the Institute of Architecture, University of Applied Arts Vienna, who—together with the University for Development Studies
in Tamale, Ghana—have been awarded Africa-UniNet funding for their research project Tamale’s Urban Resilience (TUR). The project
will run from December 2025 to November 2027.
TUR investigates how cities that are particularly
affected by climate change can develop ecological and social resilience. Focusing on Tamale, one of the fastest-growing cities
in West Africa, the project explores the interrelations between the urban fabric, open spaces, infrastructure, and ecological
systems. At its core, the research focuses on three key dimensions: solar, hydro, and biota—that is, solar dynamics, hydrological
networks, and vegetative structures. Methods such as climate simulation, soil analysis, and spatial mapping will be applied
to capture urban-ecological parameters and establish a basis for climate-adaptive, inclusive urban futures.
Building
on the preceding project Tamale’s Inner Urban Ecologies (TIUE, 2023–2025), TUR deepens the analysis of Tamale’s urban structures
and extends it to these three crucial dimensions.
Africa-UniNet, founded in 2020, promotes long-term cooperation
between African and Austrian universities. Initiated by the BMBWF and implemented by OeAD and BOKU, the network currently
includes 86 member institutions in 20 countries. In 2025, 20 new projects will be launched—among them, TUR.
