Union Académique Internationale

Project nº85, adopted in 2015

The Mediterranean towns: items for development. Diachronic, transversal and multidisciplinary Analysis / Les villes méditerranéennes: les facteurs de développement. Analyse diachronique, transversale et multidisciplinaire (MEDTOWNS) This project study how the Mediterranean towns and cities have contributed to the development of the different societies throughout the history of mankind. They always were dynamic centres for developing and improving different civilizations and cultures, from Prehistory to present. Urban society articulates its own space while at the same time transforming the landscape and imposing economic, social and political control over the region. Towns and regions became an inseparable combination with transcendental consequences, because the regions depending on urban interests and the incidence of urban elites over the power and the government.

Objectives and axes

The Research Project studies the function of the towns and cities in the development of Mediterranean societies by a comparative and interdisciplinary work articulated in six axes:

1. Towns and political and territorial articulation. The cities and towns have projected their vigour over their respective regions. In the Mediterranean area, the regions have adjusted to the interests of the urban elites in different ways throughout history. They imposed the specific orientation over the region in different fields (especially economy, social influence, institutional actions and political intervention).
2. Urban morphology and social identity. The urban morphology is a mirror of the social reality that fits in the historical roots. The structure of cities and towns must be studied from the historical perspective to understand their social evolution as well as the evolution of the heritage.
3. Mobility and displacement of people. The Mediterranean area has always been a crossroad of moving populations. Mediterranean regions have experienced a range of migratory movements from and towards different sides. The reason for these movements have been economic but also ideological or cultural. The different sides require a very attentive diachronic analysis to compare the historical paths with the current problems.
4. Economic dynamics; Mediterranean cities and towns have been characterised by an economic activity that justified their weight, also leading the regions and countries in the social and political fields. Given that a long historical evolution (which include agriculture and an important trade), the economic dynamic should be understood better through a diachronic analysis.
5. Cultural, religious and diplomatic relations. One of the permanent features of Mediterranean cities and towns is the contact between different peoples, sharing or fighting for diverse identities. Throughout history, urban societies have developed different models for integration or rejection. An interdisciplinary perspective is vital for understanding current problems around the co-existence of cultures in the Mediterranean area.
6. Energy resources and climate change. Mediterranean cities and towns have historically excelled in the management of energy resources. Economic production and demographic evolution have conditioned energy supplies throughout the Mediterranean region, with notable difficulties and limitations.

Countries involved:

Algeria, Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican.