New online course on nature-based urban regeneration

Our colleague Axel Timpe from RWTH University in Aachen, Germany, alerted us to a new 5-week course his institute has been developing as part of the EU-funded project Productive Green Infrastructure for post-industrial urban regeneration (proGIreg). The course starts on the 1st of November on edX, one of the foremost massive open online course (MOOC) providers. Its organisers write:

‘Cities around the world are seeking new, greener ways to transform former industrial districts. These areas suffer from social and economic inequalities, lack of green spaces and are  significantly more vulnerable to climate change effects and natural hazards. Nature-based solutions (NBS) can contribute to improving environmental quality, social life and local economies in urban areas.
This course will show you how co-creating NBS can transform post-industrial neglected and abandoned areas into liveable and productive green urban environments, with empowered local communities and fostering local economies. Students will be introduced to the basics of NBS followed by a deep dive into NBS that contribute to circular economy, urban food production and climate change adaptation.
You will learn about different types of NBS and how they can be implemented in varied local contexts. The course delves into citizen engagement jointly with municipalities, private sector companies, NGOs and academia, as this supports long-term sustainability of NBS. Engagement strategies place emphasis on the inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable groups. You will learn how to measure the effects of NBS on environmental quality, human health and well-being, socio-cultural inclusiveness, local economy and labour market by applying scientific methods to monitor and assess them. Having measurable NBS benefits helps developing successful business models for NBS implementation and management, and supports sound decision- and policy making.
The course draws on research results from Living Labs in European cities where innovative nature-based solutions have been developed and tested under the umbrella of the EU Horizon 2020 Innovation Action funded project proGIreg (productive Green Infrastructure for post-industrial urban regeneration). The course will guide you in setting up a nature-based regeneration project suited to your local context. The methods you will learn entail NBS co-design, co-implementation, benefit assessment and sustainable business models.’

For more information on the course see here.

For information on the innovation action project proGIreg see here.

Image: In proGIreg, Dortmund (Germany) is one of four cities to host living labs in post-industrial districts where nature-based solutions are developed, tested and implemented. (source: Sabina Leopa / proGIreg 2021)