Beyond Engineering: Building Coalitions for Nature-Friendly Infrastructure

Course Description

Are you ready to take your coastal engineering, ecology, or planning skills to the next level? Welcome to the innovative course "Beyond Engineering: Building Coalitions for Nature-Friendly Infrastructure"! This intermediate-level course, offered by DelftX, is designed to bridge the gap between technical knowledge and practical implementation of ecosystem-based hydraulic infrastructures.

As a continuation of the previous Building with Nature MOOC, this course focuses on the crucial social aspects of implementing nature-friendly solutions. You'll learn from world-renowned Dutch engineers and international environmental scientists who are experts in the technical-governance interface. Through iconic examples like the Maasvlakte II expansion and the Delfland Sand Engine Mega-nourishment, you'll gain invaluable insights into the challenges and successes of real-world Building with Nature projects.

What students will learn

• Identify and map relevant stakeholders for nature-friendly hydraulic infrastructure projects
• Analyze stakeholder power, interests, and resource interdependence
• Apply basic game theory principles to determine potential coalitions in Building with Nature projects
• Evaluate coalition suitability for designing and implementing specific projects
• Understand and apply Social Design Principles to ecosystem-based design cases

Prerequisites

It is strongly recommended that students complete the "Engineering: Building with Nature (BwN101x)" course prior to enrolling in this one. For those unfamiliar with the Engineering and Ecological Design Principles from the first course, links to crucial educational material will be provided. However, learners should be prepared to dedicate an additional 8-16 hours of study time to cover this background knowledge.

Course Content

• The importance of social aspects in implementing nature-friendly solutions
• Stakeholder identification and mapping techniques
• Basic game theory principles and their application to Building with Nature projects
• Social Design Principles and their integration with Engineering and Ecological Design Principles
• Coalition building strategies for successful project implementation
• Case studies of iconic Building with Nature projects

Who this course is for

• Coastal engineers seeking to enhance their projects' social acceptability
• Ecologists aiming to bridge the gap between environmental science and practical implementation
• Urban and coastal planners looking to incorporate nature-friendly solutions in their work
• Professionals involved in hydraulic infrastructure projects who want to improve stakeholder engagement
• Anyone interested in the intersection of engineering, ecology, and social sciences in infrastructure development

Real-world Applications

The skills acquired in this course are directly applicable to real-world scenarios. Graduates will be able to:

• Develop more socially acceptable and sustainable hydraulic infrastructure projects
• Improve stakeholder engagement and coalition building in nature-friendly initiatives
• Enhance the success rate of ecosystem-based design implementations
• Navigate complex social and political landscapes in infrastructure development
• Contribute to the growing field of integrated design approaches in hydraulic engineering
• Become part of a new generation of professionals equipped to tackle the challenges of combining nature, engineering, and society

Syllabus

1. Necessary Background Knowledge
2. Why Beyond Engineering?
3. Stakeholder Identification and Mapping
4. Game Theory
5. Social Design Principles
6. Towards Coalition Building

By enrolling in this course, you'll be joining a community of forward-thinking professionals who recognize the importance of integrating social, ecological, and engineering principles in creating sustainable and nature-friendly infrastructure solutions. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your skill set and become a leader in the field of Building with Nature!