MSc Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change

Smart and resilient cities are essential in tackling the growing threat of climate change impacts and fostering sustainability. This learning track focuses on different analytical and practical approaches to foster resilience and environmental sustainability in urban areas worldwide among others through smart city innovations. It offers its participants the opportunity to understand the most recent trends and developments related to sustainable, smart and resilient cities. Key topics include nature-based solutions, urban climate mitigation and adaptation, sustainable urban energy, water and transport systems, urban climate resilience, and smart city innovations.

The Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change programme is a specialisation track within the MSc in Urban Management and Development, which offers students the opportunity to learn to apply the most innovative analytical tools used to promote sustainable, smart and resilient cities. It focuses on how cities can achieve sustainability from a social, economic and environmental perspective, what are the most innovative initiatives being undertaken by sustainable, smart, and resilient cities,, how to implement effective and efficient urban adaptation and mitigation initiatives, and how cities can achieve a higher level of resilience. These topics are analysed from different perspectives including governance and financial arrangements, the analysis of decision making structures and processes, the management of transition and change processes, as well as different methodologies tools and techniques – from analysis and assessment to planning and implementation and monitoring and evaluation. However, this clear focus does not prevent the UESC specialization from being characterized by the necessary flexibility to respond to the specific interests and learning objectives of the participants. Furthermore, the specialisation uniquely allows students to gain essential technical skills related to geographical information systems and large data sets analysis using software such as ArcGIS, QGIS and R.