Humanitarian and Urban development related topics with University of Kwazulu Natal

In close collaboration with colleagues from the University of Kwazulu Natal, we can offer a series of MSc research topics related to humanitarian and urban development related topcis, including

1. Developing a decision-oriented framework which includes both social and technical dimensions (socio-technical framework) for implementing climate-resilient non-sewered sanitation interventions across Durban, with relevance to African cities and urban sanitation change globally. We have social and technical data on a range of sanitation interventions being tested in the city, and we would like to integrate climate change concerns into the decision-making. Including a spatial engineering and humanitarian perspective in this work (which is funded by the British Academy) would be extremely useful.
2. Building climate resilience in informal settlements in Durban through mapping and developing risk response and adaptation pathways and improved planning approaches, that recognise the importance of context (funded by CLARE INACCT and an additional project being undertaken in partnership with the provincial Department of Co-operative and Traditional Affairs). Here we are planning to develop settlement profiles that integrate climate hazards and vulnerability to understand and map risk in different contexts. Understanding the relationship between informal settlements and sub-catchments is critical to this work.
3. Upscaling a community-based flood early warning system that has been developed in the Palmiet Catchment through collaboration between national government, municipalities, university researchers, communities and civil society organisations by developing simple methods for determining risk and measuring its likelihood during storm events, and being able to communicate this to communities.
4. Developing a food response programme for informal settlement and peri-urban communities at risk during floods and impacted by heat. This may interest Humanitarian students.
5. Developing a WASH response programme for informal settlement and peri-urban communities at risk during floods, drought and impacted by heat. This may interest Humanitarian students.
6. Mapping and analyzing flood risk and stormwater flow in peri-urban areas of Durban that are located on traditional authority land and hence have been developed as settlements without formal urban planning and which often lack adequate services. To develop simple strategies that enable households to understand their own risk, mitigate it and not pass on risk to others in their neighbourhood through the interventions they use. Spatial engineering students would be very helpful here.
7. Learning how to measure and map the impact of nature-based solutions (investment in ecosystem services) for catchment rehabilitation which forms part of Durban’s Transformative Riverine Management Programme.
8. Learning how to measure, monitor and map the impact of enviro-champs who are locally employed community members funded by the municipality (working in co-operatives) to rehabilitate rivers in the broader Umgeni Catchment.
9. Mapping and addressing heat risk in informal settlements - green planting to reduce heat.