Reporting from DDRN workshops: Urban Environmental Management (UEM) knowledge and research for development: First steps to develop a new regional framework for UEM research
More than 20 participants, including researchers and development practitioners from municipalities and networks from South Africa, Mozambique and Denmark, actively discussed good practices, challenges and potentials in UEM research cooperation.
Themes and approaches:
Themes of common interest to the participants fell within the issue of informal settlements, including sanitation, environmental health, sustainable energy use, air pollution, and waste management. Approaches to UEM research were also discussed with great interest; and the participants identified a series of initiatives to develop and challenges to address, e.g. the need for integrated development planning, for a conceptual framework and a programmatic and multi-disciplinary approach that does not build upon the ‘applied/basic research’ dichotomy, as well as for an inclusive framework with clearly defined roles of all stakeholders. It was acknowledged that research communication is a common challenge crucial to successful application of research results.
Way forward:
The group of participants agreed to continue interacting and to expand the network here established to include other researchers and practitioners working with UEM, starting with South Africa and Mozambique. A first step will be to clearly define the objectives of the UEM network which aims to identify a conceptual and inclusive framework for integrated UEM research and themes for future research collaboration. DDRN is willing to assist in the further process with a series of initiaitives, e.g. facilitation of a follow-up workshop (possibly in Mozambique), information on relevant Danish funding sources in Denmark and Southern Africa, facilitation of meeting points, overview reports on UEM research and competences, and a sub-site for the UEM network on the DDRN website. As a first concrete initiaitve, a researcher from South Africa agreed to write a draft application for seed money to finance interaction in the network during the process of identification and definition of the framework.
Dateand venue: December 5-7, 2007 - Cape Town, South Africa
Please find below relevant documents regarding the workshops, including all powerpoint presentations.
Programme and concept document [pdf]
List of participants [pdf]
Workshop report [pdf]
Workshop objectives, by Anne Sørensen, DDRN [pdf]
Brief presentation of DDRN, by Anne Sørensen, DDRN [pdf]
Funding mechanisms and opportunities for financing North-South partnership projects, by Anne Sørensen, DDRN [pdf]
PRESENTATIONS ON UEM:
Perspectives in future research collaboration and relevance for ongoing cooperation within UEM, by Hans Hessel-Andersen, UEM consultant [pdf]
Cross-sector collaboration in integrated development planning in South African cities, by Ralph Hamann, University of Cape Town [pdf]
Participation, collaboration and consensus decision-making among stakeholders in research, by Kevin Winter, University of Cape Town [pdf]
How, for what, and with whom CEDH works? by Jaime Gouveia, University Eduardo Mondlane [pdf]
Urban Environmental Management Needs and Priorities in Mozambique, by Julião Cumbane, University Eduardo Mondlane [pdf]
Partnership between a Danish NGO and a Mozambican NGO and review findings of relevance to UEM research in Southern Africa, by Joergen Eskemose Andersen, Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts [pdf]
Housing, health and the environment in the Msunduzi Municipality, by Robert Fincham, University of KwaZulu Natal [pdf]
ENERKEY as a key element of sustainable megacities and sustainable N/S partnerships, by Harold Annegarn, University of Johannesburg [pdf]
Capacity development and knowledge sharing in UEM, by Peter Vangsbo Madsen, Danish National Environmental Research Institute, and Roseanne Diab, University of KwaZulu-Natal [pdf]
Environment, urban development & crime - establishing the value of a freshwater lake in an urban setting: the case of Zeekoevlei, by Carl-Erik Schulz, Norwegian University of Life Sciences [pdf]
Mapping the Future: Report Back from Group 1 - Urban Environmental Management, Conclusions presented at the SANORD conference, edited by Robert Fincham University of KwaZulu Natal [pdf]
ADDITIONAL REPORTS:
Review of competences and research within urban environmental management in South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania in relation to Danish support to the environmental sector in Southern Africa, by Hans Hessel-Andersen, consultant, February 2008 [pdf]
Profiles of Danish Researchers with Expertise within the Focus Areas of the Urban Environmental Management Programme in South Africa, by Anne Sørensen, DDRN, May 2007 [pdf]
Urban Environmental Management in Developing Countries – Land Use, Environmental Health and Pollution Management – A Review, by Soeren Jeppesen, Joergen Eskemose Andersen and Peter Vangsbo Madsen, Research Network on Environment and Development (ReNED), August 2006 [pdf]
Research and capacity building activities of relevance to urban environmental management in developing countries - Contributions from Danish researchers, by Ole Mertz, ReNED, January 2006 [pdf]
