Water Infrastructure Ressources (Institute)

DiBiAS

DiBiAS - DAS: Digital Education Module for Interdisciplinary Adaptation Strategies in Urban Water Management to Address Climate Change Impacts

Project duration: 09/2023 - 08/2024

Project Implementation by: rewa and siwawi

Project team:

Funding provided by:

  • BMUV -German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

Projektpartner:

  • Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, University of Stuttgart
  • Center for Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Studies, University of Stuttgart

Project Description:

How can we future-proof urban water management? The DiBiAS education module provides answers through an innovative approach that for the first time integrates climate adaptation strategies into university curricula in an interdisciplinary and strategic manner. Addressing the climate crisis requires new approaches in training future specialists. Currently, climate adaptation strategies in academic teaching are typically treated in an isolated manner and on a case-by-case basis, without systematic integration into curricula. There is also a lack of holistic consideration of the various sub-disciplines of urban water management, despite their interdependencies being crucial for effective adaptation concepts.

The DiBiAS education module addresses this gap: It provides students with an integrated approach to adapt urban water management to climate change challenges through interdisciplinary and strategic methods. The module covers all relevant sub-disciplines of urban water management - from water quality management and urban drainage to wastewater treatment and drinking water supply. For each discipline, specific climate change impacts are first analyzed before developing concrete adaptation strategies.

A special focus lies on systemic analysis: Impact chains visually demonstrate the interactions between measures across different sub-disciplines. A dedicated risk analysis component enables evaluation of opportunities and risks associated with various adaptation strategies.

The modular teaching materials are available as presentations and videos, and can be used either in their entirety or as individual components. Teaching materials including slides and video recordings can be requested from the project team exclusively for educational purposes. Accompanying seminar exercises facilitate practical application of the acquired knowledge. The DiBiAS module was specifically designed for cross-university teaching and may be used non-commercially by public educational institutions. Its flexible structure allows easy integration of individual components into existing courses.

With this innovative approach, DiBiAS establishes an important foundation for optimally preparing future specialists to meet climate-related challenges in urban water management.