Beyond Engineering: Building with Nature (edX)

In this course you will learn how to build a relevant coalition of stakeholders to support the design and implementation of ecosystem-based hydraulic infrastructures. After learning basic stakeholder mapping and game theory techniques, you will apply Social Design Principles to a Building with Nature ecosystem-based design case. This will equip you to identify promising collaborative arrangements for your engineering or planning practice.

The course builds on the previous Building with Nature MOOC, which explored the use of natural materials and ecological processes in achieving effective and sustainable hydraulic infrastructure designs, distilling Engineering and Ecological Design Principles. In this course, the missing element of Social Design Principles are developed and taught.

You’ll learn from renowned Dutch engineers and international environmental scientists, who work at the technical- governance interface. Iconic examples such as the Maasvlakte II expansion to Rotterdam Harbor and the Delfland Sand Engine Mega-nourishment serve as study material. The challenges in designing and implementing these nature-friendly hydraulic infrastructures are explored by the eminent professors who were responsible for their genesis.

Join us in becoming one of the new generation of engineers, ecologists and planners who see the Building with Nature integrated design approach as critical to hydraulic engineering, nature and society.

What you'll learn

- Identify relevant stakeholders for the design and implementation of nature-friendly hydraulic infrastructure.

- Analyze the power and interests of these stakeholders, including their interdependence in terms of resources.

- Apply basic game-theory principles in combination with the stakeholder analysis to determine potential coalitions in a Building with Nature project case.

- Evaluate the suitability of the coalitions for designing and implementing a particular Building with Nature project case.

Syllabus

0. Necessary Background Knowledge

1. Why Beyond Engineering?

2. Stakeholder Identification and Mapping

3. Game Theory

4. Social Design Principles

5. Towards Coalition Building