CRCWSC Researchers awarded for updating IWC Masters module

CRC for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) researchers Dr Annette Bos and Dr Briony Ferguson have been recognised for their outstanding achievement in updating the Urban Futures: Delivering Water Sensitive Cities module that is run as part of the International WaterCentre’s Masters of Integrated Water Management program (www.watercentre.org/education). Annette and Briony redeveloped the module with the aim of translating CRCWSC insights into education. This work was undertaken as part of Project D4.1 Strengthening educational programs to foster future water sensitive cities leaders, and is part of the CRCWSC’s overall education and training strategy.

The module envisions and explores a new paradigm for how the hydrological cycle interacts with the urban landscape to support liveable, sustainable, productive and resilient cities. It provides participants with an interdisciplinary understanding of the interplay between society, technology and urban design to ensure water security, water resource efficiency, waterway health, flood mitigation, public health and amenity. Participants are critically engaged with the underlying principles of a water sensitive city and examine socio-technical pathways for facilitating its delivery through a mixture of lectures, workshops, film, formal debating and field visits with researchers and practitioners leading the implementation of water sensitive cities. The updated module has already been delivered to fourteen Masters participants from eight countries including Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Namibia, Sierra Leone and the United States.

Briony and Annette were recognised for outstanding achievement as a consequence of the feedback received from participants both in terms of the module and their practice as water management educators. They were presented with their awards at the February International WaterCentre program curriculum committee meeting.

Annette was also recently recognised by the School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, winning the 2013 Peter Kershaw prize for best PhD thesis. Annette’s thesis is entitled “Transition-Oriented Governance Processes for Enabling Sustainable Urban Water Management”.

The CRCWSC congratulates Annette and Briony for their outstanding work.