(Re)thinking Sustainability in Architecture and Urban Design Education and the urgency of climate action. Case study of the Tunisian schools of Architecture The AKSA Matrix as an assessment tool and an instrument for change

This paper focuses on architecture and urban design education facing climate change, and the urgent need to integrate sustainability within university programs at Tunisian architecture schools.
Our methodology is structured around two important phases. First, the literature review examines several pedagogical experiences and case studies to identify emerging trends to build the AKSA Matrix (Awareness, Knowledge, Skills, And Attitude) as an assessment tool.
Secondly, we confront this matrix with the local pedagogical context. The investigation is conducted to determine the level of the current implementation of sustainability issues at the macro (academic program) and micro (design studio) levels from the first to last year. This involves analyzing the content of the courses and examining the whole design process, teaching methods, and students’ outcomes.
The findings reveal that the challenges are to deal with multiple difficulties at different levels especially when it comes to knowledge delivered, and skills needed. Despite some efforts, Sustainability issues are not taken seriously and are still looked at as a facultative matter in the Tunisian academic curriculum.
This research suggests the AKSA model as an instrument for change to enhance the integration of sustainability within the local context, taking into consideration the unique specificities and needs.