From January 19 to 25, 2026, the Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) Youth Forum, themed Sustainable Cities and Living Heritage, was successfully held at Seoul National University (SNU). The forum brought together 42 students from 11 AUA member universities for a week of academic exchanges, cultural immersion and collaborative learning.
The forum kicked off with a warm welcome ceremony in Seoul. Participants were divided into nine groups and attended an opening dinner, which helped foster early connections and set the stage for the entire week’s activities. The official program commenced with an orientation session on the topic of Global Development Agenda, which traced the evolution from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and underscored the pivotal role of multi-stakeholder partnerships in advancing sustainable development.
Throughout the week, participants took part in a series of thematic lectures and hands-on workshops. Renowned professors delved into critical topics including safe and affordable housing, heritage conservation through adaptive reuse, carbon-neutral urban transportation, and digital simulation in urban planning. These sessions integrated theoretical frameworks with real-world case studies from Seoul and other global metropolises, encouraging participants to examine sustainability challenges from both local and international perspectives.
Classroom learning was complemented by a series of field visits, which offered tangible insights into Seoul’s urban development landscape. Participants visited the National Museum of Korea and Bukchon Hanok Village to observe how traditional architecture coexists with modern urban fabric. A trip to the Seoul Metropolitan Government showcased the city’s green retrofit projects and its intelligent transport management system (TOPIS), highlighting how technological innovation and policy design converge to enhance urban resilience and livability. During these site visits, each of the nine groups was tasked with creating original stories based on the photos they took along the way.
A key highlight of the forum was the intensive collaborative teamwork, where students applied the knowledge and insights gained to analyze urban sustainability challenges in cities including Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, Jakarta and Yangon. On the final day, each group presented their research findings, addressing a diverse range of topics from informal settlement upgrading to climate change adaptation strategies. Detailed feedback from the faculty and in-depth reflective discussions helped synthesize the week’s core learnings, and emphasized the importance of context-sensitive and inclusive solutions for urban development.
The forum drew to a close with a formal closing ceremony, where every participant shared personal reflections on their cross-cultural dialogues and collective learning experiences. By integrating rigorous academic learning with immersive experiential activities, the AUA-SNU Youth Forum 2026 not only deepened participants’ understanding of sustainable urban development, but also forged a strong international network of young leaders from AUA member universities dedicated to building more resilient, inclusive and sustainable cities worldwide.
