Short Master in River Contracts and Water Governance for the Ecological Transition of Territories

The short master focuses on the planning and sustainable management of territories, with particular attention to River Contracts, participatory governance tools that involve administrations, businesses, associations and citizens in the protection and enhancement of river basins. The programme integrates environmental, urban planning and socio-economic aspects with a view to the ecological transition of territories and uses practical labs that simulate real river planning scenarios, to understand how to build agreements, set priorities and coordinate interventions. River Contracts are voluntary agreements between public bodies, economic operators and local communities that aim to restore watercourses and reduce risks, and the course shows how to build, implement and monitor them throughout the whole process.

Teaching is organised in four training modules, for a total of 100 hours and 4 credits, over a period of about two months. Lessons are held online in a weekend format, on Fridays and Saturdays, and are accompanied by practical labs. The final assessment consists of a workshop. The language of instruction is Italian. At the end a certificate of attendance is issued, certifying the skills acquired. The online mode and the concentration at weekends make the programme accessible also to professionals who work or live far from Bari. The workshop-based approach makes it possible to try out facilitation methods, stakeholder mapping and the construction of action plans, skills that can be used in both technical and institutional contexts, where collaboration among different parties is decisive for the success of a project. The final workshop offers the chance to synthesise what has been learned into a shared proposal, testing the ability to analyse the context, to engage with different stakeholders and to define goals and actions.

The aim is to offer a specialisation in environmental governance to technicians, public officials and designers. Related professions include environmental policy analyst, soil and water remediation expert, environmental technician, environmental project manager and water management officer. The course is useful for those working in local authorities, river basin authorities, environmental agencies, engineering firms and consulting companies, or who wish to approach these fields, and encourages an understanding of the role of participatory processes in water resource management and in building more resilient and sustainable territories. The skills acquired are useful for those who want to take part in river protection programmes, basin planning processes or environmental regeneration projects funded at local and European level.