CONFERENCE ON RESILIENT CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

The Development Technology in the Community Research Group of Dublin Institute of Technology, Engineers Without Borders Ireland and Habitat for Humanity will host a conference on 9 and 10 October to explore how nature-based solutions can be integrated with conventional engineered infrastructures to create more sustainable cities and communities.

Achieving Resilient Cities and Communities (ARC2018) will focus on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) which are both natural and constructed systems using physical, chemical and microbiological water treatment processes. The two-day event will feature keynote speeches from several international experts who will present NBS case studies from across Europe and then deliver a number of interactive workshops.

The conference aims to cater for builders, engineers, architects and urban planners, and Dr Sean O’Hogain, DIT Engineering Lecturer, says the emphasis will be on active learning. “ARC2018 is a workshop and we want everyone to leave with a toolkit, which will help them to promote the inclusion of NBS technologies in their day-to-day work. All cities are facing huge challenges due to climate change, with increasing demands on water and energy supplies and these technologies provide the most sustainable and cost-effective solutions.”

Liam McCarton, DIT Engineering Lecturer, says that while activists and development workers won’t be responsible for installing NBS technologies in their communities, the keynote speeches and workshops will help them to understand the real-world applications of NBS and how it can be used to empower their community action and reinforce its values.

Keynote speakers include Victor Beumer, Deltares Knowledge Institute, The Netherlands; Joan Garcia, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Technical University of Catalonia-BarcelonaTech (UPC); Albert Jansen of Water Innovation Consulting, and Declan Alcock, Director of Engineers Without Borders Ireland.

These events are part of the EU development education and awareness raising (DEAR) programme (EuropeAid/151103/DH/ACT/Multi) and the Build Solid Ground Campaign, which aims to inform and actively engage EU citizens in actions towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

For more information contact Lisa Saputo, DIT Public Relations Officer on 01-4024172 or email lisa.saputo@dit.ie