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Introduction from Project Director

from Higher Ground Initiative: Purpose + Need

by CIVIC/URBAN

from Higher Ground Initiative: Purpose + Need, page 61

Article from: Higher Ground Initiative: Purpose + Need

Looking Ahead

September 1, 2022

Stakeholders of the Higher Ground Initiative:

On behalf of the design team, it is a sincere honor to present the final reports prepared for the Higher Ground Initiative master planning project. In the following documents, we have provided a full compilation of the understandings, designs, and recommendations that have been developed through the master planning process. Guided by the Pillars of the Higher Ground Initiative, and responsive to the challenges that the changing global climate poses, this series of reports provide the details of an integrative strategy for development and demonstrate a full illustration of a transformational yet achievable vision for the future of the Republic of Nauru.

The results of the Higher Ground Initiative must be inspiring, not opportunistic. This project is an investment in inherited returns for the future of the country and future generations of Nauruans, one that will carefully balance the social, natural, financial, and cultural capital of the island and its people, delivering on the promise of a secure and resilient future. The proposals detailed in the following reports are rooted in a commitment to deliver built outcomes that will efficiently and effectively reflect a community responsive to both the short- and long-term wellbeing of all Nauruans.

Within these documents, you will find:

• Volume 1: Purpose + Need, an introduction to the Higher Ground Initiative and the master planning project deliverables including the foundational goals and mandate of the initiative, the purpose of this undertaking and the needs that must be confronted with this body of work, the principle frameworks on which the response has been based, and the national and global context in which the work has been applied;

• Volume 2: Housing + Architecture, including recommendations related to the proposed modular system for housing provision and the corresponding variations and aggregations possible with this system, as well as details of proposed form and construction, the recommended method for arranging block patterns, and the utilization of this system in site planning for Land Portion 230 and adjacent to the Port;

• Volume 3: Land Planning + Resiliency, including urban design and development recommendations related to the detailed site planning for Land Portion 230, the potential expansion of development beyond government-controlled property on Topside, the potential new Township adjacent to the Port, and the comprehensive island wide master plan, as well as those recommendations related to infrastructure and utilities, land remediation and grading, and the design of thoroughfares and open spaces; and

• Volume 4: Land Tenure + Social Safeguarding, a summary of the relationship of Land Tenure policy to the master planning process and the Higher Ground Initiative, including an analysis of the land tenure and administration context in Nauru, an overview of the social context and safeguarding needs for the master planning project, an evaluation of the tenure and planning options that would address the housing challenges across the island, and an outline of next steps for ensuring feasibility of the implementation of the vision for the initiative.

To the best of our ability and within the limitations of the time and circumstance of this project, the design team has operated with honest and ethical practices in an open and cooperative atmosphere with our counterparts in Nauru, with the goal that our work represents the needs of all Nauruan peoples. Through our designs and recommendations, we are committed to nurturing and rehabilitating the natural environment of Nauru by balancing the ecological footprint of proposed development within the capacity of the small island to sustain its needs. We strive to encourage and reinforce equity and justice by integrating the social conditions and cultural context of the community into the program and scope of the project, in order to respond to the well-being of all Nauruans through the outcomes of our proposals. We acknowledge the impact of successful and suitable urban design strategies on economic, social, and environmental wellbeing, and our proposals attempt to enhance the sustainability of Nauru using locally appropriate designs and techniques. We recognize the lasting legacy of our work, and we hold ourselves accountable for the impact that implementation of the following designs and recommendations may cause to the social, economic, and ecological resilience of Nauru.

As a design team, we are extremely proud to deliver this final set of documents, which collectively compile the comprehensive and significant body of work that has gone into the master planning process for the Higher Ground Initiative. We appreciate the opportunity to serve the Republic of Nauru, and we are indebted to the Ministers, Heads of Department, government staff, and particularly the Higher Ground Initiative Committee for their support, engagement, and contributions to the contents of this compilation.

With gratitude,