Skip to 0 minutes and 13 seconds ROB SKINNER: 100 years ago, only two out of ten people lived in cities. Today, around half the people on Earth are living in urban areas. And by 2050, that proportion will be seven out of ten. Urbanisation is remorseless. And with the compounding impacts of climate change, how can we design cities that provide the livability that people need? Well fortunately, water plays a major role in ensuring cities provide for the fundamental human needs of its residents. But to do this, cities must have good quality water for all our household needs. They need to be productive and prosper, with adequate water for business and industry. Cities must be greener and provide for our recreational needs.
Skip to 1 minute and 1 second There must be healthy places to live, even during heat waves. All urban areas need to be designed to cope with the increasing risks of flooding. And cities need to protect natural environments to preserve the ecosystem services that ultimately sustain our planet. This course explores the concept of water sensitive cities. How can we design cities with water in mind to ensure they are livable and resilient to population growth and to climate change shocks, such as prolonged drought, more frequent and intense flooding, extreme heat waves? The challenges associated with building a water sensitive city are complex, involving interrelated and often competing social, environmental, engineering, economic, and even political disciplines.
Skip to 1 minute and 52 seconds This course is tailored for you even if you are new to the subject. It’s ideal for you if you’re interested in what makes cities sustainable. Cities that meet your needs and the needs of your future generations. In this course, you’ll learn from Australia’s leading researchers and practitioners about what is needed to deliver water sensitive cities. The late educators for this course will be from the Water for Liveability Centre at Monash University, Australia, with input from key people in the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities.
Skip to 2 minutes and 26 seconds Over the next seven week course, you’ll consider and discuss the latest solutions and concepts relating to integrated urban water management, river and stream management in urban settings, climate change adaptation, flood resilience, integrating urban design with water system management to achieve water sensitive cities, and finally, the regulatory institutional and cultural settings needed to deliver water sensitive cities. You will focus on effective ways to create water sensitive cities by examining case studies from Australia and around the world, and even your own backyard. This course is really about building cities that your grandchildren can enjoy. So if you want to know how to make your city water sensitive, join us on this course.
