NFI 2025 City Visits

As part of the 2025 Master’s Programme on Sustainable Cities students recently embarked on field visits to three pilot cities—Melilla, Cape Town and Freetown—for hands‑on site work and strategic dialogues with local authorities.

In Melilla, students and NFI researchers engaged with the city’s President Juan José Imbroda Ortiz and senior urban planning officials to assess its unique geographic and sociocultural landscape and craft location‑specific sustainability proposals.

In Cape Town, the team met with key municipal officials—including the Director of Urban Planning and Design, the Manager for Ecological Conservation and geospatial experts—as well as leading academics and urban networks, tackling priorities like climate resilience, equitable access and quality public spaces.

Meanwhile, in Freetown, interactions with Mayor Yvonne Aki‑Sawyerr, city council representatives and community stakeholders focused on urban regeneration, climate adaptation and sustainable mobility initiatives—from cable car systems to green corridors—forming the basis for a robust collaborative research proposals.

These site visits exemplify the programme’s applied, transcontinental approach, combining immersive fieldwork and collaborative urban governance to shape innovative strategies for sustainable, resilient cities.