Objectives of the Winter School

The winter school will be dedicated to exploring urban development in the city of Chennai, a bustling Indian metropolis with about 9 million inhabitants - the fourth largest in the country -, a burgeoning car and other industries and an urban area rapidly expanding into the outskirts. Chennai is an excellent field laboratory for such a course. Students will explore the potential and risks of urban development. They will be introduced to the theory and practice of interdisciplinary research on biophysical, economic and social drivers and constraints of urban sustainability. A series of key lectures by highly renowned scholars in the field from India and Germany will be coupled with hands-on field research in the city, done by the students in work groups.

Contact
For all matters concerning application, funding, visa, accomodation, etc. Please contact RWTH Aachen via info@igcs-chennai.org For all course-related matters, please enquire by e-mail to school@igcs-chennai.org

IGCS Winter school Growth and Sustainability in a highly dynamic city

Exploring the urban development in South Chennai

Organizers
Prof. Dr. S. Petrak, IGCS

Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS)

The IGCS is a joint German and Indian centre developing fundamental and applied interdisciplinary research, teaching and training, and dissemination of information in the area of sustainable development. IGCS is coordinated by RWTH Aachen and funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the program A new passage to India.

Prof. Dr. C. Martius, IGCS Prof. Dr. A. Kolar, IIT Madras

24 February to 10 March 2013 at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai

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Further information: www.igcs-chennai.org

IGCS

Participants
The course is open to Master and Ph.D. Students in academic fields related to sustainable and urban development. The number of participants is limited to a maximum of 20 (10 German / 10 Indian).

Application Course Schedule

Sunday, 24 Feb 2013 Monday, 25 Feb 2013 Tuesday, 26 Feb 2013 until Friday, 01 Mar 2013 Saturday, 02 Mar 2013 Sunday, 03 Mar 2013 Monday, 04 Mar 2013 until Wednesday, 06 Mar 2012 Thursday, 07 Mar 2012 Friday, 08 Mar 2012 Arrival Interested individuals must apply for admission. Applications should be submitted in one PDF file and include (1) a cover letter with contact details, a description of the applicants scientific interests and motivation for attending the course, (2) academic CV, (3) a recommendation letter (Indian participants by Head of Department). Applications should be sent by e-mail to school@igcs-chennai.org until 30th November 2012. Applications received after this date will not be considered.

Lecturers
The teachers and supervisors at the course are IGCS and IIT Professors and other selected experts. The course participants will interact with government agencies and NGOs active in the topics of the course.

Opening and introduction / Field Trip

Work groups
Participants will work in groups of up to 4 members to develop small research projects, carry out field research through mapping, interview campaigns and measurements, prepare reports on their findings and present them to their colleagues and supervisors for discussion.

Morning: Key lectures on urban sustainability Afternoon: Work groups start defining themes and preparing field work

Evaluation of applications and admission

Applications will be evaluated by the organizers. Accepted applicants will be informed by e-mail in mid-December.

Day: Field trip Night: Open air movie or cultural program Day: Free Night: Cultural program Field work done in work groups. In the afternoons, supervision and coaching is provided by the course coordinators and teachers

Topics to explore Funding

Travelling of German students (max. 10) will be funded by the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS). Hosting and travelling in Chennai will be funded by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM). Possible topics by the workgroups, based on interest, may be drinking water supply water management (groundwater pumping; sustaining urban lakes and rivers) keeping up with energy, food and services provision in highly dynamic cities the peri-urban link management of solid waste and waste water gender policy vs. Reality in different neighborhoods institutional economics of natural resource management at the urban fringe governance problems of urban development in rapidly growing cities

Elaboration of written work group reports

Accommodation
Students will be accomodated in the Taramani Guesthouse on IIT Madras campus (two people per bedroom)

Presentations of work group results and discussion

Saturday, 09 Mar 2012

Morning: Presentation and wrap-up Afternoon: Free Night: Farewell dinner Departure

Sunday, 10 Mar 2013