Urban Management Tools for Climate Change
UMTC2
Duration and dates
3 weeks
4 May 2011 to 27 May 2011
Tuition fee
2,500 euro
Language
English
NFP Application deadline
1 October 2010
IHS application deadline
1 March 2011
Introduction
Cities are increasingly expected to undertake concrete actions to mitigate climate change and adapt the city to rising water levels, drought and other natural disasters related to the heating of earth. What concrete activities should a city undertake and what works? This course offers management tools for urban policy makers, planners and environmentalists.
Objectives
By the end, you will be able to prepare and manage local climate change plans, which address the global challenges yet focus on concrete local action. The course will offer specific tools and practices to manage urban design and environmental infrastructure, in particular energy, transport, housing and water.
Content
Introduction
The course introduces climate change as an integral part of sustainability, its impact and main strategies for mitigation and adaptation.
Week 1. Risk and vulnerability assessment
The impact of climate change differs for rural and urban areas, coastal cities, mountain cities and low-latitude cities. Within cities, particularly the most vulnerable households are at risk. Recent studies assessed the likely impact of climate change on cities. Participants will analyse and evaluate detailed assessment reports of various case studies based on theory and best practices.
Week 2. Mitigation strategies: energy, transport and emission trading
Cities can play a pivotal role in the mitigation of climate change. They can reduce energy consumption, promote renewable sources of energy or they can trade emission rights under the Flexible Mechanisms of the Kyoto protocol. The latter is becoming a lucrative business for green and clean cities. A range of management tools are at the disposal of municipalities, including tax incentives, subsidised public transport, urban sprawl prevention, Feed-In-Programmes, Renewable Portfolio Standards, sustainable buildings, etc. Participants will prepare mitigation strategies for concrete cases, based on theory and the available management options.
Week 3. Adaptation strategies: water, land and housing
Cities should adapt to both long-term trends associated with climate change and to extreme events such as flooding. After centuries of land reclamation, the Netherlands now transforms land into lakes and builds floating housing and roads, with gardens on roofs (‘blue cities’). Participants will develop adaptation strategies for concrete cases, based on theory and best practices.
Week 4. Local Climate Change Plans
Local Climate Change Plans translate often vague strategies for mitigation and adaption into concrete actions, based on the risk and vulnerability assessment, management tools and the (financial) constraints of cities. Local actions are taken at city and neighbourhood level. Participants will develop plans for concrete cases, based on theory and best practices. These are placed within international policies and practices including the Kyoto Protocol, Bali Roadmap and Local Agenda 21.
Methodology: case study approach
From the onset of the course, participants will apply theory and best practices to concrete cases. For each of these cases, Local Climate Change Plans will be prepared by participants, including a risk and vulnerability assessments, strategies for mitigation and adaptation, concrete actions and financial arrangements. Rotterdam will be visited weekly, being one of the 40 cities of the Clinton initiative. The course will look at the Rotterdam Climate Initiative, Rotterdam Climate Proof Programme and a range of innovative plans and actions – such as ‘floating communities’ - that aim to transform a polluting harbour city below sea level into a CO2 neutral city.
Partner
IHS is proud to announce that this course is jointly developed with UN-HABITAT.
Admission
For this diploma course, you should have:
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent
- At least 3 years work or academic experience
- Evidence of a sufficient oral and written command of the English language. If English is not the mother tongue, an English language test is required
Contact
For more information, please send an e-mail to admission@ihs.nl
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