Cities in the global south are growing and expanding rapidly. Rapid, unplanned urban growth leads to its own set of problems. Our fresh water sources are reducing, cities encroach and pollute them as wastewater is disposed into water bodies untreated and groundwater exploitation is rampant. Floods in Chennai and Mumbai and drying cities like Cape Town and Dar-E-Salam over the recent past have been devastating for human life and property. Experts identify increased unplanned urban growth, grey infrastructure and reduced green spaces as the major root causes for many of these issues.

Green Infrastructure thus provides a new concept - a ‘smart’ method for natural conservation and urban planning. Urban areas are right at the front of a public health emergency, as the world having been grappling with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the past two years. Cross-disciplinary collaboration of public policies, urban planning and design using open public spaces, parks, urban forests and integrated blue and green infrastructure are needed as tools to make cities healthy. It is high time we realize that ecosystems are not a frill but a necessity.

CSE - School of Water and Waste is coming back with this online course for the third time in series. The course aims to build basic orientation of practitioners on GI and eventually build a community of practice who can successfully work towards designing and implementing green infrastructure interventions in town/ cities. 

Purpose:
To help practitioners, students, working professionals and environmental enthusiasts learn state-of-art concepts and principles of green infrastructure for improved urban water management at their own comfort and pace. 

Objectives:

• Define and conceptualize green infrastructure for water resource management in urban areas
• Provide an overview of the current problems with water infrastructure and to assess challenges and opportunities in making cities water prudent and resilient to climate change
• To understand role of green infrastructure in sustainable urban water management
• Understand the GI approach and strategies for analyses with regard to planning for different urban typologies
• Recognize scope for GI interventions based on different problem scenarios and contexts
• Understand and apply case studies in support of GI principles across the world 

Theme 1: Introduction to Green Infrastructure for urban spaces
Theme 2: Understanding Green infrastructure approach and interventions
Theme 3: Stakeholder analysis and socio-economic benefits of Green Infrastructure
Theme 4: Best management practices and Case studies on Green Infrastructure 

Course Work
The course comprises of self-study, technological learning tools such as presentations, videos featuring case studies from various countries and other audio material. It will facilitate interaction amongst participants through online forums and discussions. It will be interactive with several interesting assessment exercises and quizzes. Participants will also get a chance to interact and learn from experts at CSE and abroad through online interactions and a webinar. The webinars are mandatory to attend for all the participants and will add up to 5 marks to the overall final scores of the course. 

Course Fee
Indian participants: INR 3,500
Overseas participants: USD 100

Top 5 participants of the course will be invited to AAETI, Nimli with a fully funded fellowship for one of our upcoming training programs. Participants who perform exceptionally during these courses and come back to us with a ‘theory to practice’ alumni story will be awarded the title of ‘Urban Water Champions’. Additional benefits include:

• Course participation/completion certificate
• Top 5 scorers will get a 50% refund of their course fee and will be invited to attend the ‘Urban Water and Sanitation’ knowledge conclave in January 2023.
• One-year free subscription to Down To Earth magazine after course completion
• Join a global network of practitioners of the School of Water and Waste

For registration, click here

Course Coordinator
Shivani
Senior Research Associate
Urban Water and Waste Programme, CSE
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Course Director
Depinder Singh Kapur
Director
Water Programme, CSE
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