The Iuav University of Venice continues its support in developing strategies for the reconstruction of Gaza. Elisa Vendemini and Andrea Fantin, researchers from the university, arrived in Ramallah on April 11, where they will spend the coming months actively participating in the Gaza Reconstruction Team—an interministerial Palestinian group supporting MOPIC, the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Planning.

The initiative involves Iuav thanks to its ongoing collaboration, active for over a year, with UNDP-PAPP (United Nations Development Programme – Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People). The work program includes the categorization of intervention areas, the design of emergency shelters and their transition to more stable solutions, and support for public services.

Vendemini and Fantin will work for three months as consultants for UNDP-PAPP, drawing on their specific research experience in reconstruction processes in areas devastated by war or natural disasters. Both are members of the Urbicide Task Force, a research group established by current rector Benno Albrecht, which has been promoting studies and projects in conflict zones for over ten years, including Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, and now Palestine.

Their first task will be to build a geolocated database of all available areas suitable for organizing temporary housing and services—such as modular, expandable housing units—and to assess how these urban fabrics might evolve over time. Another key focus will be the identification of technologies for constructing lightweight modular structures that can be produced rapidly and in significant numbers.

This initiative is part of a broader UNDP project supporting the Palestinian Authority, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and KfW, the German development bank for international cooperation. Iuav’s commitment to Gaza’s reconstruction began with an agreement with the United Nations, which last year entrusted the university with the task of developing a dedicated reconstruction strategy for the Gaza Strip.