Building Sustainable Cities offers a comprehensive exploration of urban sustainability and resilience through three distinct courses. The first course, Climate Resilience & Urban Sustainability, equips you with a toolkit of best practices and case studies to address urban challenges. You will gain insights into the history of urban development and the impact of climate change, while engaging with challenges in the built environment like urban heat and flood risk through practical examples. The second course, Policy, Technology, and Carbon-Free Cities, empowers you to apply policy and technology innovations to strengthen community resilience. It emphasizes the role of local governments and citizens, and explores strategies such as carbon removal and smart city innovations. The final course, Sustainable Cities Case Studies, guides you through an analysis of real-world strategies for urban sustainability and resilience, through a focus on four cities: Lahaina, Washington DC, Copenhagen, and Singapore. This course provides a global perspective on best practices, preparing you to contribute effectively to urban resilience initiatives.
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Building Sustainable Cities Specialization
Urban Sustainability and Climate Resilience. Gain practical skills to address urban sustainability and resilience challenges through innovative strategies and real-world applications.
Instructors: William Shutkin
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What you'll learn
Understand why urban resilience is important in the context of global climate change and social equity, and challenges facing today’s cities.
Understand the role and authority of local government and citizens in making sustainability decisions and ways to engage the public more effectively.
Evaluate key technology, design, and policy innovations leading resilience and sustainability programs around the world.
Examine how urban sustainability and resilience is put into practice in leading cities around the world.
Overview
Skills you'll gain
- Community Development
- Environmental Science
- Governance
- Energy and Utilities
- Mitigation
- Environment and Resource Management
- Socioeconomics
- Public Policies
- Environmental Policy
- Land Development
- Policy Analysis
- Land Management
- Environmental Issue
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Laws
- Public Works
- Systems Thinking
- Environment
- Community Outreach
- Social Justice
What’s included
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Advance your subject-matter expertise
- Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
- Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
- Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
- Earn a career certificate from University of Colorado Boulder
Specialization - 3 course series
What you'll learn
Understand why urban resilience is important in the context of global climate change and social equity, and challenges facing today’s cities.
Analyze the history of land use and urban development in the US, especially the rise of the automobile, sprawl, and dependence on fossil fuels.
Understand the origins of New Urbanism, Smart Growth, and other planning frameworks, and the role of environmental law in new development patterns.
Evaluate sustainability practices and policies through an equity lens, and introduce the environmental justice movement.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Understand the role and authority of local government and citizens in making sustainability decisions and ways to engage the public more effectively.
Evaluate the strategies and opportunities for carbon-neutral cities, and weigh these costs and benefits against carbon-intensive cities.
Evaluate key technologies and design innovations driving resilience and sustainability programs and policies.
Analyze the effect of local policies on density, transit, public health, and climate.
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Understand urban firestorm events, and develop a recovery strategy that demonstrates best practices in “Firewise” communities.
Evaluate how the green jobs transition is growing the local economy in DC, and how access to green space and transit plays a role in gentrification.
Appraise the social, economic, and environmental value of robust bicycle transit options in Copenhagen.
Examine how circular economy principles affect overall social wellbeing and success through Singapore’s Green Plan and Zero Waste Masterplan.
Skills you'll gain
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Frequently asked questions
No background knowledge is required for this specialization.
It is recommended to take these courses in order:
Climate Resilience & Urban Sustainability
Policy, Technology, and Carbon Free Cities
Sustainable Cities Case Studies
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
More questions
Financial aid available,