Planning with Nature-Based Solutions Course is an innovative, online training offered by the Chatham County- Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, and UGA Marine Extension/GA Sea Grant.

The primary objective of this course is to educate local government staff in Georgia’s Coastal areas about effective ways to incorporate nature- based solutions like green infrastructure practices, living shorelines, and other sustainable alternatives into the planning process to ensure a successful project for both residents and the local ecosystem. 

This course is an online course in Google Classroom, with 4 weekly assignments that will take about an hour of your time and 4 mandatory Zoom meetings every Wednesday from 10am-12pm. There are many resources, videos, and tools featured in the classroom. Student access to the Google Classroom, including all materials, will be maintained after the course has completed. You also will be added into a network of other planners, students, and local government employees who have completed this course. We want to accommodate everyone’s busy schedule, so assignments are due whenever you have time! As long as all assignments are in by the close of the course, Oct 31, 2025, you will receive full 11 hrs of AICP CE credits. This course runs from Sept 10th – Oct 31st.

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The course schedule:

• Google Classroom Intro Zoom – Sept 10th
• First Assignment (Introductions and Pre-test) due Sept 13th
• Weekly Zoom – Sept 17th
• Weekly Zoom – Sept 24th
• Break Week, No Zoom on Oct 1st
• Weekly Zoom – Oct 8th 
• Last Weekly Zoom – Oct 15th
• Field Trip TBD – Oct
• Final Exam and all assignments due – Oct 31st