What should a sustainable metropolis look like? This is what participants in the Blended Intensive Programme at the University of Gdańsk have been pondering for the past month. As part of a series of activities funded by Erasmus+, students from France, Croatia and Malta arrived in Gdańsk on April 17. They then attended lectures and toured the Pomeranian capital for five days to see how the city and businesses developed in practice. We asked them about their impressions of their stay:

Viktorija Duchkova - University of Split, IT management, 4th year

- It was an exciting experience. I was particularly interested in the topic of urban infrastructure. In Gdańsk, I paid attention to the historical buildings. I live in the Split area, and there are no such buildings there. After this course, I also see a lot of sustainable solutions that could be implemented in my city, for example, better public transport. At the moment we only have buses and ferries. In Gdańsk, this system is well-developed and organised. In your city, I also like the emphasis on waste segregation, which we don't have in Croatia. It would probably cost a lot of money and commitment from the local government and the government to make these changes. 

Murphy Chapot - University of Malta, Architecture, 3rd year

- During the course, we had the opportunity to listen to lecturers from different countries, each with a different outlook and teaching methods. I was most interested in symbolism, which prof. Mariusz Czepczyński discussed. In addition, thanks to a trip to Gdańsk, we could see how the solutions discussed were implemented. While visiting the Tricity, I was surprised by the number of murals. In Malta, I miss street art, you see baroque decorations on the streets, which are often religious in nature, and buildings are painted white. In Gdańsk, such white walls are used as a canvas for local artists.

Naomie Heinry - University of West Brittany, Urban Planning, 3rd year

- My university usually doesn't focus on sustainable solutions when building and planning a city. I was glad that within the BIP, we could bite into this topic and look at it from different angles. I was most interested in the issue of renewable energy. Brest was almost entirely rebuilt after the Second World War, so there are a lot of massive buildings and concrete I would like to see more greenery in my city - mini parks or trees and bushes. At the same time, we should use renewable energy - solar panels or windmills.

Tomislav Sovulj - University of Split, Economics, 4th year

- All the activities were interconnected; you could learn something interesting and valuable in every lecture. It would be difficult for me to choose my favourite activity. Thanks to the outings to the city, we had the opportunity to see a lot. I liked the meeting in the Hotel 'Montownia', built in a post-industrial building. A lot of effort was put into this project. Converting such property into a hotel is more expensive than building a new one, but I like this sustainable approach.