Start Date : 3 Sept 07   End Date : 14 Sept 07 Location: Dar es Salaam

Many cities of Eastern and Central Africa are confronted with high rates of urbanisation and relatively low economic growth, a combination that complicates effective urban environmental management. As conventional systems of urban planning and management have been found to be inappropriate for these conditions, alternative approaches for preparing urban plans are required. The need to improve the sustainability of urban development and to incorporate environmental concerns as a primary focus within urban planning and management is widely recognised. It is, for example, at the heart of such initiatives as the Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) of UN-HABITAT/UNEP.

The urban environmental planning and management (EPM) approach promoted by SCP has been designed and tested in a variety of cities, including many in Sub-Saharan Africa. The collection and utilisation of spatial data is a fundamental aspect of urban EPM. The so-called environmental management information system (EMIS) is spatially based, and built on a geographical information systems (GIS) platform. It provides information that can increase the effectiveness of both strategic urban planning and management and local action planning.

This course brings together four participating organisations that have knowledge and expertise in the different aspects of the EPM and EMIS approaches and in recent developments in GIS and remote sensing, as well as practical experience in numerous SCP projects around the region. It examines the experiences of participants in urban planning and management practice, the theory and practice of urban EPM, and the development and use of the EMIS for urban EPM.

Target group
The course is designed for professionals in the field of urban planning and management (e.g. urban planners, environmental planners, those working in urban disaster management, staff of government authorities (particularly municipal councils) and other organisations dealing with spatial planning).

What will be achieved?
The primary aim of the course is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills that are necessary to develop an EMIS (based on the application of GIS and remote sensing) for improving urban environmental planning and environmental management. Within this context, the course objectives are to:

• provide insight into urbanisation, and urban environmental planning and management in the Eastern and Central African region
• build capacity in developing and using an EMIS in relation to urban environmental planning and management
• strengthen the capacity of representatives of organisations in the region in urban environmental planning and management
• expose participants to local practices in urban environmental planning and management.