This MOOC aims to improve the understanding of sustainable infrastructure, its social, economic and environmental relevance, its complexity, challenges and opportunities. Also, we will introduce various tools that help both the constructing, public and financial sector to assess and evaluate infrastructure projects in order to ensure their sustainability. Among these tools, we will discuss in more detail SuRe®, an international voluntary standard for infrastructure development.

Learning Objectives of this course:

• Understand the concept of sustainable infrastructure as a cornerstone for sustainable development.
• Become aware of its importance and understanding key bottlenecks and obstacles for sustainable infrastructure development which is an important element within the sustainable development goals.
• Gain particular insight into both local capacity constraints and structural constraints based on examples/situations in different infrastructure areas both in developing and developed countries.
• Learn about SuRe®, an international voluntary standard for infrastructure development and understand its criteria that help to make infrastructure more sustainable and resilient.
• Get to know further tools and instruments to assess and evaluate infrastructure projects and learn when and how to apply them.
• Better understand the dynamics and interactions between the planning, implementing and financing stakeholders.
• Become aware of the importance of the procurement and contracting phase in order to also legally ensure the sustainability of the project.
• Be able to apply and practice those tools and their learning on specific and currently running infrastructure projects.

Week 0: Welcome & Introduction
Course Overview
Definition of and introduction into sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

Week 1: Infrastructure and the Environment
Challenges on the environmental system and how sustainable and resilient infrastructure can help to relieve them.
Introduction into SuRe® Standard.
SuRe® Standard and the environment and practical applications.

Week 2: Infrastructure and the Society
How sustainable and resilient infrastructure help to promote a better society.
SuRe® Standard and the society and practical applications.

Week 3: The Governance of Infrastructure
The Governance of Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Projects.
SuRe® and Project Governance and practical applications.

Week 4: Tools for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure – the SuRe® Standard
Introduction and applications of tools that assist the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

Week 5: Sustainable Infrastructure Procurement
Principles of sustainable infrastructure procurement and their implementation.

Week 6: Synthesis and final course work.
Reflection and learning application on a specific project in a written essay.