Complex  natural  disasters   and   challenges  due to climate change, like floods and water shortages, are ravaging the world. Therefore, building  resilience  in  an  adaptive  approach  has become a major goal of sustainable urban development.  The   DRIA   design   competition of 2017 is asking for innovative measures to strengthen the resilience in Semarang, Indonesia. The city is facing serious challenges due  to  rapid urbanisation and the impacts of climate change, for instance environmental degradation, flooding, land subsidence as well as stresses caused  by  urban  density  and  social  cohesion.

The SPROUD by TU Darmstadt  is  inspired  by  the natural growth of a seed in its surrounding environment and proposes a green belt for the DRIA competition site of Bandarharjo.  Both social and environmental development goals are incorporated in the design proposal as it aims at creating a symbiosis of implemented technical measures  and  a  social  empowerment program to improve communication, to raise awareness and to involve inhabitants in participatory planning processes. The green belt offers a nature-oriented wastewater treatment, drains storm water, organises a sustainable waste management,  integrates  security  points   in case of disaster and provides a healthy public space for the community. The intended social empowerment program of our design proposal will be augmented by a Mobile Application that connects operating NGOs and stakeholders to the People of Bandarharjo in a mutual exchange of interests.  By  gathering  relevant  data  we aim at ensuring disaster preparedness and measuring social capital in order to foster trust and credibility through mutual evaluation thus attracting sponsors and supporters. Therefore, the name SPROUD stands for a combination of the words “Semarang“ and “Proud“ addressing the local inhabitants as well as the community- based    future    development    of   Bandarharjo.