Delft University of Technology
ON LINE COURSE
May-June 2023
18:00-19:30 (CET).
This course is organised by TU Delft, in partnership with UNUN The Ukraine_theThe Netherlands Urban Network, RMIT Melbourne and Zuyd University.
The ongoing war against Ukraine and its own plans for reconstruction provide a focus case for this course.
Countless lives have been lost, disrupted and displaced as severe damage has been inflicted on urban and rural communities across the country. According to an estimate provided by Reuters, as of the middle of October 2022, at least 29,916 individuals had lost their lives and about 14 million people had been forcefully evacuated. The destruction and damage of around 140,000 structures is having tremendous impact on every facet of life in Ukraine and beyond.
This course will seek to discuss spatial strategies for an integrated urban recovery in post-conflict settings. The course investigates the process of reconstruction and what “building back better” implies: tackling inequalities, strengthening the capacities of local actors and pursuing a green, resilient and inclusive economic recovery anchored on sound spatial planning, design and policy. It focuses on practical tools of spatial planning and strategy-making, land and resettlement policy, building and planning standards for climate adaptation and decarbonisation, policies and programs for ensuring the development of adequate (re)housing, as well as mechanisms to ensure fairness, participation and transparency throughout the urban recovery and reconstruction phase.
The course will examine lessons from previous approaches to reconstruction such as the Marshall Plan and examine the differing roles of stakeholders, including national governments, spatial planning bodies, reconstruction banks and international donors, as well as municipal governments, civil society groups and NGOs. Specific attention will be given to strategic spatial planning, land resettlement, infrastructure financing and development, neighbourhood planning and systems of affordable housing provision. Insights from this course will empower emerging and reskilling policy makers, planners, investors, developers and architects to address the pressing concerns of urban reconstruction.
Tools for Post Conflict Urban Recovery 