THE World Bank Institution (WBI), an agency of the World Bank, has selected Dr Carol Archer, Dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of Technology (UTech), to serve as one of their peer reviewers for their online programme being developed in conjunction with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

Archer is one of eight external academic reviewers selected from around the world. Other reviewers include senior academics in the field of urban and regional planning from Singapore, South Africa, Japan, China, Mexico, Canada, Ghana and the US.

The course targets two audiences:

. urban planners in rapidly growing second-tier developing cities with limited access to state-of-the-art knowledge and practices; and

. policymakers in the same cities.

“The course also recognises the need to address private sector leaders and civic leaders who influence land-use planning. The objective is to enhance the local knowledge and skills of urban planning practitioners and policymakers and provide them with a comprehensive, participatory and integrated understanding of urban and land dynamics, planning instruments, policies and institutional reform that can be effectively used to guide land use and urban form in sustainable, equitable and efficient outcomes,” said a release from UTech.

“The course will provide links to other WBI e-learning products, including courses on slum upgrading, social accountability, risk-sensitive land use planning, street addresses systems, combating corruption and climate change. In addition, the course will link to World Bank WDR, as well as AAA products on metropolitan management, metropolitan spatial growth and urban fringe (urban and rural interaction),” the release added.

The course is based on a modular design and applies a variety of learning techniques suitable for distance learning, including PowerPoint lectures, workshop transcripts, reading materials, video clips and other multimedia files featuring best practices and interviews with experts and stockholders in case study cities. Tutored discussions, exercises on strategies, programmes and action plans, as well as self-tests are built into the course.