The crisis of climate change gave rise to the emergence of the “Green Economy” such as renewable energy, rapid surface transport and eco-tourism. Cities and countries around the world are aggressively competing in this fast growing multi-billion dollar market for new inward investment, jobs and skills in the hope that it will support their wider development goals for increased prosperity and quality of life for its citizens. Recognising this, public sector managers are challenged with understanding how the green economy can best interface with their urban strategies and plans in an age of economic austerity to ensure they are both attractive to potential investors and avoid any downside risks from new public-private partnerships.  Yet at the same time there is an absence of practical guidance and learning for these public sector managers to either commence the journey or check that they are progressing along the right path.

-   The drivers of change in an age of peak oil and economic austerity (e.g. emerging sectors and consumer trends driving the rise of the green economy; balancing lean efficiency with environmental or community obligations and the need to create     
     jobs).
-   How to build a bespoke business case for a green economy in your area/organisation (with a particular focus on the power of leveraging regeneration, planning and procurement strategies).
-   Options appraisal of cost-neutral interventions (with international case studies from Quito, Melbourne, Liverpool and Pennsylvania as location as African-centric examples). 
-   How to work strategically with stakeholders by making change desirable (staff, citizens and companies). 
-   A framework for excellence to maximise opportunities (e.g. new jobs and investment, cost savings) and minimise risks (e.g. negative response from fossil fuel-dependent sectors) associated with the transition to a low carbon economy.
-   An outcomes-based way to change management on the green economy.

The 3-day course is intended to be informative, participatory and practical. It will involve a mixture of 35% presentations (lectures, case studies) and 65% interaction (class discussion and individual and group working). A key focus of the group working will be class exercises focusing on the critical analysis of successful and less successful case studies from Quito and Pennsylvania as well as African centric ones. The key focus of individual learning will be each delegate developing and maintain a checklist for a bespoke action plan that they can take back with them to use in their own organisation.