KATHMANDU: As mountain communities face increasing challenges from climate change and rapid development, an upcoming webinar titled Designing Settlements with Nature: Policy Pathways for Green Buildings will focus on promoting sustainable and resilient settlements through nature-based design and green building policies.

Scheduled for August 25, 2025, this second episode in the “Sustainable and Resilient Settlements” webinar series will highlight how policy frameworks can support the integration of traditional knowledge and natural systems into the design of homes, neighborhoods, and settlements—particularly in fragile mountain ecosystems.

The webinar will feature key presentations from experts including Tashi Penjor, Director of the Department of Human Settlement at Bhutan’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, and Dr. Sonali Gupta and Dr. Siddharth Pandey from the Himalayan Institute of Cultural and Heritage Studies. Discussions will center on national development strategies, cultural heritage conservation, and the practical application of nature-based solutions to create greener, safer, and more liveable mountain communities.

Organized by ICIMOD AND Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), the webinar aims to share practical policy experiences and promote collaboration to build climate-resilient mountain settlements that preserve both ecological and cultural integrity.