Asia is urbanizing at a rapid pace. The data show that the region is now home to 17 of the 33 megacities in the world and its urbanization rate is projected to reach 64 percent by 2050. This rapid pace of urbanization has contributed substantially towards regional economic growth. However, it has also created many challenges for the Asian cities/ urban centers. Few of the major challenges are provision of essential infrastructure and services, environmental and disaster risk management. Cities and their populations are vulnerable and increasingly exposed to rapid and slow on-setting climate and environmental disasters, which frequency and intensity are growing exponentially as a result of climate change. Moreover, cities at present are also struggling in decision making between the global pandemic, maintaining public health and the need for the economic progress.

These challenges are making urban resilience practitioners to reconsider how urban centers/ cities would function. There is a need to enhance the urban resilience and explore innovative avenues where urban centers/ cities can become drivers of economic growth as well as hubs for sustainability amidst the listed challenges.

In this scenario, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) in partnership with the International Urban Resilience Academy (IURA) of SDU.Resilience research group of the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is co-organizing an Urban Resilience Intensive Training Program. The training builds the core skills and competencies for urban resilient transition, including fundamentals of urban resilience in research, climate science, international and national policies, and resilience in action.

Investment for the course is USD 1,600 with accommodation and USD 1,300 without accommodation. The fee is inclusive of cost of instruction; morning and afternoon snacks including lunch for five (5) days and soft copies of course materials.

Special discounts
• An early bird discount of 5 % of the course fee to the first 10 participants, who register for the course at least one (1) month prior to the course commencement.
• Course fee waiver of one (1) participant, if an organization sponsoring six (6) participants to the training course.

This training program will be of five days duration. Thematic areas will be discussed in the morning sessions via lectures and presentations. The afternoon sessions will be mainly dedicated for group exercises with different tools and discussions on case studies. An exposure visit will be organized to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for the participants to gain first-hand experience of the city of Bangkok, Thailand which is one of the Megacities in Asia.

Urban resilience tackle both causes and effects of climate change, empowering together low-carbon transition and climate adaptation of cities, in conjunction with other urban challenges from urbanization to disaster risk reduction.

The training will address the high complexity and wicked problems of urban development through a system thinking approach, going beyond sectorial solutions, through a process design methodology that will introduce the participants to the development of strategic and action plans for urban resilient transition.

The training will be strongly based on peer-to-peer learning, enabling the participants to share their challenges and experience in tackling climate change action at local level.

The participants will learn about:
• the process design for the development of strategic and action planning for urban resilient transition.
• the use of system approach to understand current challenges and opportunities for urban resilient transition.
• current tools and methods to address climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
• best and next practices relevant for the implementation of resilient cities plan.

Urban Resilience Training is targeted at practitioners, scientists, and researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds, including engineering, architecture, planning, environmental, economic and social sciences.

Practitioners from the private and public sectors, including also non-profit organizations.

Policymakers from national and subnational governments and from international and intergovernmental organizations.

Scientists and Researchers from universities and research organizations, including PhD candidates, researchers and lecturers.

• Themes: Front Lectures Speakers
• Tools/ Scenarios: Exercise Trainers
• Peer to Peer: Sharing Knowledge Participants

Interested individuals and organizations can register online at www.adpc.net/apply.

For more information about the course, you may also contact Apibarl Bunchongraksa at apibarl@adpc.net and telephone numbers +66 22980681 to 92 ext. 132.

Due to limited slots for this course, interested parties must register on or before March 10, 2023.

DAY 1:

Morning Session (Theme)
• Urban resilience and process design for urban resilient transition
• Urbanization trends in Asia. Challenges faced by Asian Cities
• Peer-to-peer 1

Afternoon Session (Tools/Exercises)
• Identification of key urban risks and challenges
(Group exercise based on case study)

DAY 2:

Morning Session (Theme)
• Nature based solutions for urban resilience
• Gender equality and social inclusion for urban resilience
• Peer-to-peer 2

Afternoon Session (Tools/Exercises)
• System thinking and system dynamics
• System tools for urban resilience
(Group exercise based on case study)

DAY 3:

Morning Session (Theme)
• Development of a vision and strategic plan for resilience transition
(Group exercise based on case study)

Afternoon Session (Tools/Exercises)
• Institutional Visit to BMA -Urban Resilience at local government level

DAY 4:

Morning Session (Theme)
• Low Carbon Development
• Water sensitive cities and coastal areas
• Peer-to-peer 3

Afternoon Session (Tools/Exercises)
• Development of an action plan for resilience transition
(Group exercise based on case study)

DAY 5:

• Final Day Discussion.
• Output presentations
• Event Wrap up