Online Courses: Urban Climate Resilience And Natural Disaster Management

07/12/2023

by Methi Laithavewat with No Comment News Updates

Online Courses: Urban Climate Resilience And Natural Disaster Management

ISOCARP Institute and Think City Institute have partnered to develop Smarter, Dynamic, Greener, a series of three online courses that explore environmental and technological challenges in cities across Asia. The programme is oriented around actionable strategies to meet SDGs in the region and targets public and private sector professionals working in Asia. Drawing on up-to-date knowledge from a range of expert lecturers, each course will promote co-creative strategies for resilient development in Asian cities.

Course Overview

This course was developed to address the increasing challenges and risks posed by climate change on urban areas, focusing on a range of frameworks and strategies to minimise impact. The course explores three main topics.

The first, Modelling and Assessing Environmental Impact, focuses on the science of climate change and its environmental impact. Participants will explore climate modelling techniques and study various methodologies for environmental assessment.

The second topic, Infrastructural Solutions for Climate Resilience, is dedicated to the understanding of the strategies, planning and design of climate-resilient infrastructure.

Finally, the last topic, Mechanisms for sustainable change, explores the policies, practices and strategies aimed at promoting resilience, sustainability, and adaptation in the face of climate challenges.

Take a look at the course structure and detailed information on this link.

For any further inquiries, send an email at duncan.cave@thinkcity.com.my

Discussing Collective Mobilisation. The ISOCARP Institute at Designing Cities for All: RE-generation In Common.

06/06/2023

by Methi Laithavewat with No Comment News Uncategorized

Discussing Collective Mobilisation. The ISOCARP Institute at Designing Cities for All: RE-generation In Common.

On 6th of June evening, project manager Samir Amin participated in the concluding episode of the Designing Cities for All series: RE-generation In Common. In the third and last episode with fellow Roberto Rocco, the panel of speakers discussed pathways for collectivisation and re-generative relationships with the commons.

Samir shared his experiences in community mobilisation, drawing on the many ways we connect communities, policymakers, and researchers in our projects. In particular, Samir explored the value of storytelling as a tool to lobby for co-creative change and to challenge decision-making that is fundamentally removed from citizens.

The event saw thoughts and experiences shared across an amazing panel of speakers, including activist Martine Doppen, postdoctoral researcher Shahryar Sarabi, and Roberto Rocco, associate professor of spatial planning at TU Delft. Through conversations and meaningful inputs from audience members, moderators, and guests, we came to the point that bottom-up collective initiatives are essential to recognise the intertwined relationships between communities and nature. By working together, we can celebrate biodiversity and human diversity in parallel and work towards healthier and more just cities.

If you would like to watch this episode and the Designing Cities for All series, take a look at the video below.

Sustainable Urban Planning And Development Masterclass

03/04/2023

by Methi Laithavewat with No Comment News Uncategorized Updates

Sustainable Urban Planning And Development Masterclasses

The ISOCARP Institute and Think City Institute have partnered to develop a series of three online masterclasses on Sustainable Urban Planning And Development.

This first course will take place over the first three week of May 2023, with one module per week and the final case study workshop in the third week. Through a number of activities, attendees are guided through the modules and equipped with knowledge and strategies that they can apply, to work towards fairer and more sustainable cities. The activities in the course are divided between individual and group work.

The first course, Governace, will touch on topics of policy scale, governing cities in inclusive manners, and involving urban populations in decision-making.

APPLY NOW by filling out the application form
*early bird USD399 if registration is before 15 April

📨 For any further inquiries, please contact amin@isocarp-institute.org or duncan.cave@thinkcity.com.my

And for more details about topics, course structures, and timeline, check our the website.

Call for guest lecturers – TRAINING ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

28/11/2022

by Methi Laithavewat with One Comment News Uncategorized Updates

Call for guest lecturers – TRAINING ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Context

The ISOCARP Institute is developing a new training programme on Sustainable Planning and Development targeting professionals working in the city-making disciplines – mainly in South-East Asia. This initiative is the result of collaboration initiative between our partners in the region and the Institute. The overall goal is to deepen the capacity of city-makers, improving decision making and the implementation of projects at the local, regional and national level. The programme is primary composed of three different themes (Urban Governance, Urban Environment and Strategic Planning) and localise their application in the regional context. Each of module will be divided in three subtopics.

Course content

Module 1: Urban Governance

Multi-level governance processes
Inclusive urban planning
Citizen Engagement in sustainable urban development
Gender Equality in environment & urban planning
Barriers between local & national sustainable urban development
Sustainable urban development in education processes

Module 2: Urban Environment

Energy transitions and neutrality in cities
Smart city designs for energy positive cities
Greening & nature-based solutions to support quality of life and enhance urban biodiversity
Promoting healthy cities (built environment & healthy communities)
Urban waste management & the circular economy
Urban water management for climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience

Module 3: Strategic Planning

Land use planning and management as a means of promoting compact, mixed-used and transit-oriented development (TOD)
Redesigning urban infrastructure, public spaces and facilities to adapt to climate change; 
Innovative approaches to housing for low-income and vulnerable groups;
Land and property rights for displaced people;
Access to basic services for all, and SME development
Economics of planning practice and multi-scalar budgeting

The developed learning materials consist of case studies and best practices, videos, further readings and references to other interactive media. Additional to the overall themes, current global planning concepts and approaches will be covered.

The materials will be complemented with viable approaches and tools, such as vision building, action planning, monitoring and assessment approaches, digital tools and tackle the question of what suitable planning and which elements must be considered depending on various contexts.

Call for guest lecturers

The programme will be organised online through a dedicated learning platform in late spring 2023.

To provide the best content and offer accurate material for each module, we are looking for Guest Lecturers. Guest Lecturer would be expected to a) support the preparation of the module and b) deliver a 1,5 – 2h online lecture.

Are you an academic or a professional with expertise in one of the three Themes, please submit your interest using this application form until 04/01/2023.

The application form: https://forms.gle/wiEEZmhBj1GQFgpv6

Enquiries

For any enquiries, please contact info@isocarp-institute.org

Online workshop and conference: Mass Housing and Climate Change, Challenges and Solutions (EUD, Strelka KB, ISOCARP Institute and WUC)

22/09/2021

by Jonathan with No Comment News

Online Workshop and Conference: Mass Housing and Climate Change, Challenges and Solutions, organized by the EU Delegation to Russia, Strelka KB, ISOCARP Institute and the World Urban Campaign (UN-Habitat).

September 18-20, 2021

In Russia, approximately 70 million people live in mass housing units, the vast majority of which was built during the Soviet time, with little consideration for climate change and sustainability. This housing stock is in dire need of refurbishment today. However, Russia is not an exception. Mass housing units were erected both in Western and Eastern Europe in the second half of the 20th century, as well as on all continents. The stock of mass housing worldwide is so huge that it cannot be replaced in the foreseeable future for ecological, economic and social reasons; and it keeps on growing today. Mass housing units should be considered an opportunity for developers, architects and planners, as good solutions bear the potential to be reproduced worldwide. Their modernization could have a significant impact in the fight against climate change.

The EU Delegation to Russia, together with urban consultancy Strelka KB, ISOCARP Institute and the World Urban Campaign, are organizing both an online workshop (18-19/10) and an online conference (20/10) on the theme of mass housing regeneration in the context of climate change.

The practical workshop is designed to bring forward solutions to regenerate mass housing units in the context of climate change. Participants will have the opportunity to work on a theoretical case study using the actual data from four locations in the world.

The conference will bring professionals from the EU, UN-Habitat, ISOCARP, Strelka KB and others, who will share their experience on the challenges and solutions to address the inadequacy of mass housing in a changing climate. It will feature, among others:

– Didier Vancutsem, Director at the ISOCARP Institute

– Christophe Lalande, head of the housing division at UN-Habitat

– Hilmar von Lojewski, councillor at the German Association of Cities (Städtetag)

– Christophe Hutin, architect

– Michaela Kauer, Director of the Brussels Liaison Office of the City of Vienna and coordinator of the EU Urban Agenda Housing Partnership

– Ekaterina Maleeva, project director at Strelka KB

– Alexandra Chechetkina, managing director at Strelka KB

The results of this event will be further presented online at the COP-26 on November 10th.

To participate to the workshop, please register here:

MASS HOUSING AND CLIMATE CHANGE ONLINE WORKSHOP REGISTRATION (typeform.com)

To participate to the conference, please register here:

MASS HOUSING AND CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION (typeform.com)

For further information, please find the link to the official website of the event:

Strelka KB: Masshousing and climate change. Challenges and solutions — Homepage (strelka-kb.com)

The project has been supported by the European Union Delegation in Russia.

Urban Thinkers Campus “Climate Adaptation in Challenging Environments in the MENA Region”

16/07/2021

by Jonathan with No Comment News Updates

Urban Thinkers Campus “Climate Adaptation in Challenging Environments in the MENA Region”

UTC Objective: The main objective of this UTC is to discuss and explore solutions that are being tested to ameliorate the future of urban living conditions. The Campus explored and discussed solutions on how cities can better respond to changing climate conditions, using Dubai as an example of a city which due to its demanding climate conditions, has from the beginning had to plan in ways, which can offer valuable best practices to urban planners around the world.

The session lasted 3 hours and was via Zoom. We aimed to make this session as interactive and inclusive as it is possible.

Check out the agenda to learn more!

See the recording of the session here:

UTC Background: ISOCARP Institute together with Middle East Cities Center at the American University in Dubai University and other partners organized on the 22^nd of June 2021 the UTC on Hot Cities in the MENA region. According to the latest IPCC simulations, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has been identified as a hotspot for future temperature changes due to its arid environmental conditions. Heat extremes are expected to increase significantly in both frequency and intensity across the MENA region. Heatwaves will occur for 80 days of the year by 2050 and 118 days of the year by 2100. Combined with increased sandstorms associated with longer drought periods, predicted temperature rises would make large parts of the region uninhabitable. Extreme heat has been identified as a serious threat to human health, heightening an individuals’ susceptibility to exhaustion, heart attack and mortality.

Hot cities in the MENA region – with the reference to Dubai- are a current trend which will be highlighted and discussed during the UTC. Meanwhile we would like to expand the discussion on what other trends related to the Hot Cities trends are emerging? Among the main trends that we would like to touch upon and discuss possible solutions are: water scarcity, biodiversity loss, sea level rise, loss of coastal defence and storm surges.

Check out some screenshots from the session:

Join our UTC Climate Adaptation in Challenging Environments

02/06/2021

by Sindi Haxhija with No Comment Updates

Urban Thinkers Campus “Climate Adaptation in Challenging Environments in the MENA Region”

UTC Background: ISOCARP Institute together with Middle East Cities Center at the American University in Dubai University and other partners will organize on the 22^nd of June 2021 the UTC on Hot Cities in the MENA region. According to the latest IPCC simulations, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has been identified as a hotspot for future temperature changes due to its arid environmental conditions. Heat extremes are expected to increase significantly in both frequency and intensity across the MENA region. Heatwaves will occur for 80 days of the year by 2050 and 118 days of the year by 2100. Combined with increased sandstorms associated with longer drought periods, predicted temperature rises would make large parts of the region uninhabitable. Extreme heat has been identified as a serious threat to human health, heightening an individuals’ susceptibility to exhaustion, heart attack and mortality.

UTC Objective: The main objective of this UTC is to discuss and explore solutions that are being tested to ameliorate the future of urban living conditions. The Campus will explore and discuss solutions on how cities can better respond to changing climate conditions, using Dubai as an example of a city which due to its demanding climate conditions, has from the beginning had to plan in ways, which can offer valuable best practices to urban planners around the world.

The session last 3 hours and will be hosted on Zoom. We aim to make this session as interactive and inclusive as it is possible.

Check out the agenda to learn more!

Call for contributors: Are you a practitioner who would like to present your case study or ideas on possible solutions to the challenges that hot cities are facing nowadays? Are you an industry partner who have been working with climate adaptive infrastructure solutions/products? Or are you a member of a community who would like to share your experience on implementing climate mitigation measures? Then we would like to listen to your story! Researchers, industry partners, climate adaptation practitioners or community members are invited to submit initiatives, questions and possible strategies to present them for discussion at the UTC.

Application deadline: June 13, 2020

‘Planning Disrupted’ 2, webinar results and presentations

30/08/2020

by Sindi Haxhija Updates

‘Planning Disrupted’ 2, webinar results and presentations

August 30, 2020

On Wednesday, the 19th of August 2020, ISOCARP Institute in cooperation with: ISOCARP – International Society of City and Regional Planners , eThekwini Municipality, SACN – South African Cities Network, SALGA – South African Local Governments Association, SAPI – South African Planning Institute, MILE – Municipal Institute of Learning eThekwini Municipality, SACPLAN – South African Council for Planners, held the second ‘Planning Disrupted’ webinar. Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to our first webinar, our next offering in the “Planning Disrupted” series was Planning With People. This time we took a deep dive into what planning with people means. The webinar engaged with approaches and Covid19-induced opportunities for a local and international planning context.

The webinar started with a kick-off presentation from ISOCARP and SACN. ISOCARP presented the results of the “Planning Beyond Limits – Building Livable Communities” ISOCARP YPP project in Jakarta and Bogor, Indonesia. While SACN launched the Practitioner Profile Magazine. The Magazine profiles the human behind the planner and is a good reminder that planners are people too, especially when we talk about “planning with people”.

After the welcoming words and the kick-off presentation the webinar moved on to the four Breakout Sessions, which offered an interactive, broad and moderated discussion on the following topics:

1. Voices in Planning: The Bright Side of Planning Disruption – moderated by SACN, eThekwini Municipality

This session looked at the opportunities inherent in Covid19 and beyond to bring creativity, trust-building and meaningful partnerships into planning with people. A celebration of the diversity of views and voices and a willingness to embrace unheard and challenging perspectives through creative methodologies and confidence in process and deep listening.

2. Community-oriented Plans: Methods and Approaches for Successful Implementation – moderated by ISOCARP

Community oriented plans (COP) aim (in general) to adapt the theoretical urban planning knowledge and standard planning practice to be more responsive to local people’s needs. Participatory planning is just one of the methods to implement COP, and in this session we discussed how communities can plan for their future as part of an integrated planning process for an area, and what tools and methods they may have at their disposal.

Click here to view the recording for Breakout Session 2!

3. Establishing Community Partnerships: A Challenge for Planning Practitioners – moderated by SAPI

We know that coordinated partnerships can help improve urban planning by addressing different urban challenges from every angle. Identifying formal (and informal) stakeholders may seem like a logical first step, but engaging them to become active and collaborative partners is much more complicated. The Breakout session focused on discussing the challenges and strategies for fostering successful partnerships between planners and the community.

Click here to view the recording for Breakout Session 3!

4. Building Municipal Identity using Municipal Assets – A KZN Perspective – presented by SALGA – KZN and Maphumulo Local Municipality

How can municipalities use their natural, social, cultural, economic and other assets to build and market their municipal identity ensuring municipal spaces are legible and attract investment and development. The Breakout session showcased perspectives from Kwa-Zulu Natal. The aim of the session was to indicate how municipalities can strengthen their development potential.

Click here to view the recording for Breakout Session 4!

Final Planning Disrupted 2-Webinar-Invitation

Webinar ‘Planning Disrupted’ #2

14/08/2020

by Sindi Haxhija with No Comment Updates

Webinar 'Planning disrupted' - Planning with People

On Wednesday, the 19th of August 2020, ISOCARP Institute in cooperation with: ISOCARP – International Society of City and Regional Planners , eThekwini Municipality, SACN – South African Cities Network, SALGA – South African Local Governments Association, SAPI – South African Planning Institute, MILE – Municipal Institute of Learning eThekwini Municipality, SACPLAN – South African Council for Planners, will hold the second ‘Planning Disrupted’ webinar. Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to our first webinar, our next offering in the “Planning Disrupted” series is Planning With People. This time we will take a deep dive into what planning with people means. The webinar engages with approaches and Covid19-induced opportunities for a local and international planning context.

The webinar will start with a kick-off presentation from ISOCARP and SACN. ISOCARP will present the results of the “Planning Beyond Limits – Building Livable Communities” ISOCARP YPP project in Jakarta and Bogor, Indonesia. While SACN will launch the Practitioner Profile Magazine. The Magazine profiles the human behind the planner and is a good reminder that planners are people too, especially when we talk about “planning with people”.

The webinar will then move to the four Breakout Sessions, which will offer an interactive, broad and moderated discussion on the following topics:

1. Voices in Planning: The Bright Side of Planning Disruption – moderated by SACN, eThekwini Municipality

This session looks at the opportunities inherent in Covid19 and beyond to bring creativity, trust-building and meaningful partnerships into planning with people. A celebration of the diversity of views and voices and a willingness to embrace unheard and challenging perspectives through creative methodologies and confidence in process and deep listening.

2. Community-oriented Plans: Methods and Approaches for Successful Implementation – moderated by ISOCARP

Community oriented plans (COP) aim (in general) to adapt the theoretical urban planning knowledge and standard planning practice to be more responsive to local people’s needs. Participatory planning is just one of the methods to implement COP, and in this session we will discuss how communities can plan for their future as part of an integrated planning process for an area, and what tools and methods they may have at their disposal.

3. Establishing Community Partnerships: A Challenge for Planning Practitioners – moderated by SAPI

We know that coordinated partnerships can help improve urban planning by addressing different urban challenges from every angle. Identifying formal (and informal) stakeholders may seem like an logical first step, but engaging them to become active and collaborative partners is much more complicated. The Breakout session will focus on discussing the challenges and strategies for fostering successful partnerships between planners and community.

4. Building Municipal Identity using Municipal Assets – A KZN Perspective – presented by SALGA – KZN and Maphumulo Local Municipality

How can municipalities use their natural, social, cultural, economic and other assets to build and market their municipal identity ensuring municipal spaces are legible and attract investment and development. The Breakout session will showcase perspectives from Kwa-Zulu Natal. The aim of the session is to indicate how municipalities can strengthen their development potential.

‘Planning Disrupted’ webinar results and presentations

16/06/2020

by Sindi Haxhija with No Comment Updates

‘Planning Disrupted’ webinar results and presentations

June 16, 2020

On the 9th of June, ISOCARP together with other collaborating partners from South Africa (eThekwini Municipality, SACN – South African Cities Network, SALGA – South African Local Governments Association, SAPI – South African Planning Institute and MILA), held the webinar ‘Planning Disrupted’. The main aim of the webinar was to defy critical thematic areas pertinent to urban planning during COVID-19 crisis across cities and regions. Practitioners, planning organisations, individuals and academia were invited to join and discuss on what kind of policy, planning and design actions should be undertaken in our cities, in South Africa and city of Durban in particular.

Over 250 participants joined the ‘Planning Disrupted’ webinar from all over the world, with most participants being from South Africa, followed up by India and Indonesia.

After the welcoming words from SACN, the webinar continued with a presentation of the ISOCARP UPAT workshop for the inner-city renewal of Durban. The results of this collaborative UPAT workshop between urban planning professionals of Ethekwini Municipality and ISOCARP experts are bundled in the PLAN Magazine publication. After the welcoming words and the kick-off presentation the webinar moved on to the five Breakout Sessions, which offered an interactive, broad and moderated discussion on the following topics:

1. Planning Practice in the Time Of Flux – moderated by SALGA and SACN.

The Session deliberated on the changes and disruptions that are happening on the municipal level planning related to COVID, and took a concrete look what could be the new norms, the new leaderships and new formats for planning emerging from the crisis. The discussion highlighted the stark polarities and inequalities that the COVID19 crisis has brought forward in South Africa. Having to adapt to use social media as means of public participation, has shed light into inequalities in data accessibility among interested stakeholders. There is a necessity for urban planners and practitioners in the urban field to act as agents of change in order for practitioners in the urban field to best serve to those people who are most vulnerable in such situations.

Suggested articles to learn more about the topic at hand: Built Environment Integration Practices ; Chronicles of a Change Agent

2. Dark Side of Planning Disruption – moderated by SAPI

Dark Side of Planning Disruption revealed the “dangers” facing planning practice, such as increasing inequality and growing bureaucracy as results of primary Covid responses. How to deal with the “low resilience capacity” of the established planning schemes and processes? The discussion touched upon topics related to:

– The market in urban renewal and the finance economy;

– Safety and perceptions of safety;

– The need for leadership in organisational development;

– Need to foreground inclusiveness and transparent allocation of resources;

– Government urban system collapse with rent seeking behaviour;

– Flexibility and transparency in regulation and laws.

3. Reset Opportunity for Density and Land-Use Planning – moderated by eThekwini Municipality

“Density Wars” seem to be at the heart of the post-COVID planning discussions. But if we can’t reset the existing frameworks of planning for more flexibility, simplicity and inclusivity NOW – when then? The Session reflected and re-prioritized the importance in land use planning for the inner city of Durban – through the lens of COVID. Main outcomes from this session highlighted the need to have a set of minimum standards for green spaces to bring relief to density. While the need for more public space is clear, the problem still remains on attracting the right investment pipelines to make this happen. Furthermore, the COVID crisis has put a big question mark on the future of the work place, in a time when working from home has become the new normal. This might require us to transform the functionality of office spaces.

4. Public Spaces as Life Line for Cities – moderated by ISOCARP

How can public spaces adapt in the times of uncertainty, and will we be able to reclaim them after the quarantine restrictions? Location and scale of public spaces matter, as well as their contribution to more resilient, inclusive and just city. What kind of role will public space have for the next inner-city making? These were some of the questions that this break-out session explored. Contextualisation of public spaces is necessary as the public space is complex and the same rules cannot just be replicated from one context to another. In this way, it can reflect the values and cultures of all the people who use or experience them in an inclusive way.

Read the Manifesto produced at the end of the session to learn more about the outcomes of the discussion.

5. Relevant and Supportive National Planning – moderated by ISOCARP and SAPI

The crisis has revealed the bigger need for comprehensive planning on the highest, national level, covering primarily health facilities, housing, shelters, and all kind of supporting functions. The globalisation should not become the norm after the COVID crisis, and new economic pathways need to be found. Can urban data help establish relevant and supportive national (and local) planning and how? The discussion, pointed out three main priorities that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to national planning:

– Mitigate political instability which influences planning processes;

– While the national policies are present, the main challenge remains on their implementation. ‘We need to own the policy at the local level’.

– There is a need to work on horizontal integration in planning (not just topdown/bottom-up) but for more horizontal collaboration.