RESETing the built environment

Biodiversity is life. As a result of human activity burning fossil fuels and consuming resources beyond the earth's capacity, climate change is now disrupting many of the essential systems and processes we rely on for life. This web - the ecosystem - provides us with the goods and services that keep us alive: fresh air and water, food, shelter, pollination, climate regulation, water and nutrient cycling.

If we are to develop a resilient and biodvierse world beyond fossil fuel dependency, we need to understand how we are intimately part of a complex web of natural systems and resources, and how better management of this ecosystem can make our built environment a healthy, livable place into the future.

Training includes:

An introduction to climate change and the effects it will have on our built environment and the way we live in the 21st century

An overview of what is meant by ecosystems services - working with natural systems and resources for passive heating, cooling, shading, ventilation, humidity regulation, water and energy management - and how they relate to design of the built environment. The potential for reducing the negative impacts of flooding and urban dehydration, air pollution, urban heat island effect, as well as access to natural health services is explored, through case studies.