Time: 4 June, 9:30-11:30 CET
Registration: https://tinyurl.com/y7ynxetm
Recording: https://lnkd.in/g8ZacWV
Contact information: tek-ura@iti.sdu.dk
Please connect 10 - 15 minutes before the start of the webinar to establish connection with the server.
Webinar Description
A functioning resilient Infrastructure is an essential requirement and the foundation of every thriving community. With the rapid growth of population in urban areas, infrastructure needs are more acute in cities, where development increasingly encroaches on the natural habitat needed to support life and livelihoods, and, as a result, well-being quality standards are declining.
Delivering adequate infrastructure solutions implies an understanding of urban needs today and predicting what might be needed, and what we might be challenged with in the future. Defining ’adequate’ should rely on a clear appreciation of the extent of future disturbances we account for, the level of standards we build to, and the environmental, social and economic factors we include.
In this webinar we discuss the benefits of resilient infrastructure standards, the opportunities offered by radical infrastructure alternatives such as nature based solutions (NBS), and the need to reassess the role of critical infrastructure and interdependence between infrastructure sectors, in order to prepare and respond fast in moments of crises.
We will discuss the benefits and applications of SuRe® – the Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure. Developed to drive the integration of sustainability and resilience aspects into infrastructure development and upgrade, SuRe serves as a globally applicable common language tool for infrastructure project developers, financiers, and public sector institutions.
Examples of NBS infrastructure projects that maximize both climate change mitigation and adaptation potential will be shared highlighting alternatives that address physical constraints as well and community needs. We have ahead of us the opportunity to use the basic role of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the opportunity for a radical shift to design infrastructures and services with neutral impact. Furthermore, the consideration of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the social-fabric, elements of wisdom left by our ancestors, can be valuable in the design of our “new” adapted NBS. ZENU Hydrotechnologies are using with success this type knowledge in their approaches.
The current global health crisis shows us that having access to reliable critical infrastructures is paramount under normal conditions and even more during and after a crisis or disaster. However, risks from cascading disasters, as well as, interdependencies between infrastructure sectors have been widely neglected. When critical infrastructure and crisis management are not equally accessible, social vulnerability exacerbate, increasing the risk for extended dysfunctionalities and longer recovery periods. The challenges faced during the current COVID-19 pandemic will hopefully play a significant role for more preventive planning. However, we have a short window of opportunity before returning to “business as usual”. Reducing impacts from the crises require addressing root causes of vulnerabilities, within the health sector and beyond, including risks from and on other infrastructures.
Panellists
Simone Sandholz,
Associate Academic Officer, United Nations University
Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)
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Jordi Morato,
Founding Member of RECNET. Recycling the City Network
Coordinator at UNESCO Chair on Sustainability at Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC)
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Louis Downing,
CEO, Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation
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Moderator
Monica Pandele, MBA, MPA
Sustainability consultant
Presidio Graduate School
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