The successful proGIreg MOOC ‘Nature-based Urban Regeneration’ will run again next October! The five-week online course was held via one of the world’s leading online course offering platforms edx. The course covered everything participants needed to learn to implement nature-based solutions in their neighbourhoods, based on the lessons learned in proGIreg Living Labs. What better way to utilise the wealth of knowledge acquired during the project?

Over 800 participants from 96 countries took part in the instructor-led course with teachers from proGIreg partner universities and the seasoned coordinator University of Aachen, well-versed in MOOCs ensuring the quality of the content. The participants were active contributing to an engaging and lively virtual study-environment. Most participants had a university background in related disciplines and wanted to enhance their knowledge on the topic. Many joined the course to help get insights into practical application of nature-based solutions – as one participant stated “I am really interested in pursuing a career in nature-based solutions in a more practical and hands-on way – perhaps in designing, installing and maintaining living walls and roofs or regenerating urban spaces to create community areas and urban farms”.

Participants enjoyed the diverse course – most rating the course ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ and found the course to match their expectations and prove useful, according to a survey issued post course. Further, the pace, assignments and difficulty of course was found to be appropriate among participants. One of the main tasks of the course was to create a case study for nature-based solutions. The geographical distribution of the case studies chosen among participants was varied, with the below map illustrating which cities participants chose to complete their assignments on.

The participants were appreciative of the practical examples included in the course from the Living Labs, and the fact the course illustrated the real-life successes and challenges in implementing nature-based solutions, with one participant stating, “I would like to compliment you for this project! You are doing an amazing job by regenerating industrial cities for the future, by incorporating nature-based solutions! While watching the videos I got inspired to do something useful – there is so much to be done everywhere!” ProGIreg would like to thank all participants for their great efforts in the course and for spreading nature-based solutions further!

Watch the short videos featured on the course to learn more about proGIreg nature-based solutions: urban agriculture, green walls and roofs, aquaponics and new urban soil.

The course is free but allows participants to upgrade for a paid verified track to receive a certificate from the course. Sign up for the next edition of the course here.