During the course of GoGreenRoutes, nature-based solutions (NBS) have proven to be great tools to improve the human and environmental health of urban communities.This autumn, GoGreeenRoutes is excited to partner with proGIreg in offering a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) via edX, one of the premier MOOC providers. In this course, GoGreenRoutes partners working at the forefront of sustainable urban planning and community health equip participants with the knowledge needed to improve community physical and mental health via NBS.

To maintain an emotionally, economically, and socially thriving population, cities need to better incorporate nature into the urban fabric. Human health is affected by inequality, lack of green spaces and the effects of climate change. NBS contributes to improving environmental quality, social life and local economies and can transform deprived districts into blossoming ones.

The course participants will be introduced to the basics of NBS followed by a deep dive into how NBS can contribute to a circular economy, urban food production, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk resilience. The students will learn about impacts of NBS on the environment, health, human wellbeing and social dynamics and how to apply scientific methods to monitor and assess these effects. Students will get to explore business models for NBS implementation and management, to help inspire setting up their own NBS projects. Different types of NBS will be introduced, as well as considerations for place-specific implementation.
At the heart of NBS implementation is stakeholder engagement. The course will highlight strategies to bring on-board citizens, municipalities, businesses, NGOs and academia, with an emphasis on marginalised and vulnerable groups.

The course draws on research results from Living Labs in European cities from proGIreg and GoGreenRoutes projects. The course will guide participants in setting up a nature-based regeneration project suited to your local context. The course runs from 3rd of October until 5th of December 2022.

Sign up for the course on edX and explore the syllabus here.

GoGreenRoutes Speakers include:

• Shreya Utkarsh
• Julia Gäckle
• Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
• Evelise Pereira

Sign up for the course on edX and explore the syllabus here.