Republic of Naoero (Nauru)
2023 The Congress for the New Urbanism - Merit Award The Region: Metropolis, City, and Town
REPUBLIC OF NAURU
NATIONAL MASTER PLAN & RESILIENCY STRATEGY
Republic of Nauru
Metrocology was retained by the Government of Naoero to develop an IslandWide Master Plan and Resiliency Strategy, revolving around the NationalPolicy to begin studying the migration of vulnerable populations to higherground on Island. The policy, named The Higher Ground Initiative, or HGI,required the nation-wide planning and development effort to allow for itsimplementation. The planning centered mainly on Topside, an activephosphate mine covering a majority of the Nauru’s land area, that has beenin operation for nearly 100 years. The mining has turned the land barrenrequiring significant remediation to be habitable, to reforest, and to grow targeted crops
Metrocology led a multi-national team of experts over a three-year period to develop land plans, strategies for food, water, and energy security, conceptual engineering for new infrastructure to access Topside, and new policies to administer land tenure and social safeguarding processes for the Island’s inhabitants. The planning and outreach touched every level of government and included Island wide community meetings over the course of three years.
- The final Master Plan developed strategies for: 1- new housing centered on Government owned land called LP230 located on Topside and designed to be replicable to other areas on Island
- Island wide neighborhood and new town plans to house the managed migration of residents, businesses, and government offices to the higher elevations of Topside
- A remediation and reforestation plan for Topside, to enable human settlement, targeted agriculture and water and energy security systems;
- Conceptual engineering for the infrastructure investments required to implement the plans and strategies.
