Sustainable Urbanisation Expert Group

Please note that this programme of work has now closed. A summary of activities delivered under this Expert Group is detailed below.

In November 2025, the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Coalition (CSCC) was launched as a pilot programme to advance the Commonwealth Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation and deepen multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the growing challenge of sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth.

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and managed by the ACU, CSCC aimed to strengthen policy, governance, and climate resilience by supporting knowledge exchange, capacity building, and practical action amongst governments, policymakers, professionals, and urban development practitioners.

The pilot convened three transdisciplinary Action Groups focused on Housing, Urban Finance, and Integrated Planning to drive collaborative, evidence‑based urban development.

These were supported by a cross-cutting focus on skills – led by the ACU Sustainable Urbanisation Expert Group - which focused on the role of Higher Education in developing the skills and competencies required to advance sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth.

Expert Group Activities

To advance the skills objective, the ACU Sustainable Urbanisation Expert Group convened academic experts from 12 ACU member universities across 9 countries to design and deliver the following activities:

Mapping relevant higher education provision across the Commonwealth using the World Higher Education Database (© International Association of Universities (IAU)) – identifying over 7,000 cases of urban‑related provision across more than 1,300 universities in 47 countries, enabling analysis of where sustainable urbanisation relevant teaching and research exists - and where gaps remain - both across and within national systems.

Launched the ACU Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) Survey – receiving 101 responses from 73 institutions across 28 Commonwealth countries. The survey looked beyond what is taught to evidence how universities align institutional strategy, teaching, and research with urban policy frameworks in practice, the skills and competencies they prioritise, the external partnership models that shape research programmes and inform curriculum design and delivery, and the common enablers and barriers that affect alignment with government, industry and civil society.

Commissioned CSCC research grant exploring how higher education interacts with and responds to urban development systems across the Commonwealth. Higher Education and Urban Systems in Kenya evidences a challenge common across many Commonwealth countries – that urban governance needs often expand skills demands faster than curricula can adapt. The report provides a structured methodology for assessing the alignment of higher education provision with the competency demands of Kenya’s devolved governance system, with recommendations for strengthening a more integrated, systems‑level approach to skills spanning planning, implementation and finance by deepening collaboration between universities, government, and industry.

Developed case studies showcasing innovative university approaches to skills and competency provision across planning, housing, finance, governance and inclusion across diverse Commonwealth contexts. All case studies - highlighting diverse delivery models, partnerships and learning environments across the Commonwealth - can be accessed via the CSCC website.
Worked directly with CSCC Action Groups, supporting the production and peer review of wider programme reports, policy briefs, and case studies.

Download the Summary report of activities and key findings

Meet the CSCC grantee

Dr Patrick Oduor Owoche

Lecturer in the Department of Information Technology and Director of Open, Distance and eLearning (ODeL), Kibabii University, Kenya

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Dr Patrick Oduor Owoche is a seasoned academic, researcher, and IT professional with over a decade of experience in higher education. Currently a Lecturer in the Department of Information Technology and Director of Open, Distance and eLearning (ODeL) at Kibabii University in Kenya, he brings a distinguished blend of technical expertise, academic excellence, and strategic leadership to the advancement of digital education and technology-driven research.

He holds a PhD in Information Technology, an MSc in Information Technology, and a B.Ed. (Science) in Mathematics and Physics. His scholarly foundation and professional evolution reflect a deep commitment to leveraging digital innovation for education, research, and societal transformation.

Dr Owoche’s technical and research interests span Cloud Application Development, Web & Multimedia Technologies, Instructional Design, and AI-driven digital transformation in education and public service. His research focuses on practical and high-impact applications of technology, including semantic interoperability in healthcare systems, smart farming through predictive analytics, and digital marketing strategies for knowledge-based economies. His expertise is underscored by his supervision of numerous MSc and PhD theses to completion and his active service as a thesis examiner across several Kenyan universities.

Beyond teaching and research, Dr Owoche has demonstrated outstanding academic leadership and internationalisation capability. As the Director of ODeL, he leads Kibabii University’s transition toward a globally orientated eLearning ecosystem, building on his previous success as Coordinator of Linkages and International Affairs, where he positioned the institution for major international collaborations, including Erasmus+ partnerships and faculty exchange programmes.

Dr Owoche has a proven record of research mobilisation and grant leadership, having attracted and co-led projects worth over USD 1.2 million from prestigious funding organisations such as the European Commission (Erasmus+ and UNIHUBS Project), The Future of Life Institute (AI for SDGs Grant), UNESCO ICM, and the ACU. These initiatives have advanced areas such as AI for sustainable development, researcher capacity building, and digital innovation in higher education.

As a globally engaged scholar, Dr Owoche serves as a Visiting International Faculty at Chandigarh University, India, and has delivered international lectures at institutions, including Iloilo Science and Technology University (Philippines) and Amity University (India). He is also a National Treasurer of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) Kenya Chapter, reflecting his deep engagement with global education networks.

His scholarly influence is evidenced by numerous publications in refereed international journals and contributions to the Open University of Kenya’s learning modules. A recognised thought leader in digital learning and applied IT, he is an active member of professional bodies including the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT)

Read Dr Owoche's blog

Meet the Expert Group

Dr Isaac Akinwumi

Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Covenant University, Nigeria

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Dawn Bonfield MBE FREng

Professor of Practice in Sustainable Development, King's College London, UK

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Professor John Brown

Professor of Architecture, University of Calgary, Canada

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Professor Paulette Bynoe

Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Guyana

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Professor Paulette Bynoe, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Guyana, has approximately 30 years of professional experience as an interdisciplinary-trained environmental specialist, teaching graduate courses in community disaster risk management, environmental impact assessment, environmental research methods, and environmental resources policy. Her research interests include natural resources and environmental policy, sustainable livelihoods, climate change, disaster vulnerability and resilience, and environmental education.

She holds a PhD in Geography (University of Sussex, UK), an MPhil in Environmental Education (University of Bradford), and a BA in Geography (University of Guyana). In 2015, she was awarded Guyana’s Golden Arrow of Achievement for her contributions to environmental education, training, and research that inform policies on natural resource management.

She has served in various capacities regionally and internationally, including Lead Climate Change Negotiator for Guyana (2016-2019), Lead Climate Change Negotiator for G77 and China (2020), Mentor for the Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort (2021), and AOSIS Coordinator for High-Level Climate Actions (2019-2020)

She also co-chairs the Informal Advisory Group on Technical and Scientific Cooperation under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD). She is presently a Member of the Global Water Partnership (International) Steering Committee, Chair of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean, a Member of the Pool of Experts for the World Ocean Assessment III and the Science Panel for the Amazon, and the Non-Annex 1 Countries Representative on the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage under the UNFCCC. Most recently, she has been approved as the Coordinating Lead Author of Chapter 2, WG II of the IPCC AR7.