Increased frequency of natural hazards and sea level rise are expected impacts of climate change in India. Marginalised urban settlements are often vulnerable to disaster due to their location in hazardous areas and the use of non-durable building materials.Their inhabitants are therefore strongly affected by climate change. But amidst strives to meet climate targets, the poor's needs are mostly overlooked.

In this context, there is an urgent need for paradigmatic shift in the education of graduate students in spatial planning and design as well as training of urban professionals from different backgrounds in order to confront upcoming challenges related to climate change impacts on urban informal settlements.

The BReUCom project intents to conceive and pilot 20 short terms post-graduate Professional Development Programs (PDPs) targeted at real world problems. It aims to produce Open Educational Resources by developing 10 comparative case studies and 10 descriptions of new courses for graduate students in existing programs, following MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) model. It shall pilot new courses on urban resilience in existing curricula for graduate students.

The Professional Development Programs (PDPs) are designed to function as modules on urban resilience for urban professionals from different backgrounds and working experiences, pilot modules including internships with NGOs in India and Europe.

For more information: https://www.breucom.eu

Monday 6 January 2020

Media Report on Public Review of student work on Vasai-Virar

Loksatta, 4th January 2020
Report on Public Review of Student Work on Vasai-Virar,
as part of the Urban Resilience Studio, BReUCom. 
Translation: 

Plan by young researchers for Sustainable Environmental Development

Vasai-Virar is growing and developing rapidly, but environmental loss accompanies the development. With the current notion of development Vasai is losing out on its environmental assets. Young researchers have demonstrated how development can take place while protecting and conserving the environment and historical assets. 

Vasai is an environmentally rich area. This area is  developing rapidly. But with rapid development, the greens and environmental assets of Vasai are under threat. A large number of problems are emerging with this development. Young researchers acknowledge the need for development, but, with development should not be accompanied by harm to environmental assets. With this thought 'Yuva Vikas Sanstha' collaborated with water expert Sachin Marti and students of Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies. They have researched and developed alternate imaginations of Development for Vasai-Virar. The study comprised of the areas of: Arnala, Nirmal, Vasai koliwada, Gogate salt pan, Global city and Juichandra areas. Preservation of Traditional Livelihoods of Vasai, Conservation of Historical Sites and their development for tourism, were part of the alternative development visions proposed, based on research and studies of the areas. If these areas are developed, it will promote tourism and employment generation. The research is now complete and was recently presented in Bhuigaon in Vasai.

Vasai-Virar is growing and developing rapidly, but environmental loss accompanies the development. With the current notion of development Vasai is losing out on its environmental assets. Young researchers have demonstrated how development can take place while protecting and conserving the environment and historical assets.

The Development Plan for Vasai Virar will end in 2021 and a new development plan will be proposed for the future . In this situation, understanding diverse geographic conditions in Vasai-Virar like  mountains, low-lying areas, salt pans , agricultural land, sea shore, lakes, etc. is critical. 
Development plan for Vasai Virar needs to be prepared with long-term visions to cater to the flood-like situations, and any other threats and vulnerabilities . For this, alternative imaginations of development were produced and presented to communities. The response was extremely positive, where the community scrutinised and understood the alternative imaginations for the development of Vasai-Virar .
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