Project descriptionWhat we do and how we intend to do it |
Nature-based solutions for sustainable cities |
CONSUS provides new knowledge on NbS for sustainable city planning in South Africa through a collaborative and visionary research project. In CONSUS, we seek to bring knowledge into action. We gain experience by learning from real-life NbS experiments promoting actionable transformative change. Specifically, we propose and test well-designed, community-based NbS projects that take advantage of the synergetic use of resources, e.g., water retention and purification, with increased livelihood benefits, learning opportunities and biodiversity conservation. CONSUS uses the conceptual framework of Urban Transformative Capacity, which guides our activities to understand and expose (in)effective urban planning practices and explore viable alternatives through the implementation of small-scale NbS. CONSUS stands in the spirit of this framework by promoting community acknowledgement and involvement, strengthening and shaping the role of intermediaries, seeking solutions to urban planning practices through our collaborative and transdisciplinary approach that promotes reflexivity and collective learning.
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All work in CONSUS is grounded in transdisciplinarity through connected work packages
WP1 Strengthened institutional transformative capacityPromoting positive change in cities by fostering collaboration, experimental learning, and inclusive governance. This involves collaborating with city officials to foster social learning, ensuring that our research contributes to actionable progress, meeting the specific needs of the city.
WP2 Empowered communities of practiceExamination of socioeconomic opportunities and barriers for stronger community inclusion in ecological restoration and design prototypes for e.g. waste management and biodiversity protection. Explore and test a community-driven NbS project by facilitating collaborative community-driven restoration and monitoring of a river stretch.
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WP3 Nature-based design experimentsExplore existing human-nature relationships and how they can form the basis for nature-based design interventions. With a deeper understanding (through ethnographic approaches) of the site context, indigenous knowledge systems, and local technologies, we will instigate engagements to co-develop, construct and test, functional yet experimental design prototypes on site.
WP4 Ecology and restoration potentialIntegration of NbS with urban ecological restoration potential and biodiversity conservation, including ecological perspectives for community-based restoration and design experiments. Specific focus on biodiversity, ecological dynamics and connectivity, and ecosystem health in relation to nature-based design, water quality and local pollution management.
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Expected outputs |
The overall expected outcome is collaborative integration of NbS for sustainable urban planning and management in CoT. Specific outcomes are: stronger urban transformative capacity through locally-anchored NbS; greater uptake of local NbS by community members; development of local NbS design capacities; greater integration of ecological values and NbS in urban planning; and improved public NbS awareness and research communication. Concrete outputs include:
- PhD and MSc degrees connected to the protect; - policy assessment and recommendations; - ecological baseline and restoration studies; - community-driven river restoration and monitoring - functional NbS design prototypes, and smaller-scale experiments - booklets of nature-based design strategies; - research-based management guidelines for urban NbS; - webinars, a PhD course, and an international seminar; - on-site stakeholder events, and public and social media outreach |
Outreach |
All work packages come together throughout the project for the collaborative synthesis of the research, and inclusive creative outreach. Specific outreach activities target local communities, private practitioners, and decision makers in the City of Tshwane, the greater scientific community and the public through the following joint targeted broader outputs: 1) Public webinar series; 2) PhD course on collaborative problem solving of global sustainability challenges; and 3) academic seminars.
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