Title: Sustainable Cities

Location: US

Company: SDG Academy

About this course:
More than 4 billion people live in urban areas, contributing roughly three-quarters of global economic output; by 2050, an additional 2.5 billion people will live in cities. Whether that shift deepens inequality and environmental stress—or becomes the greatest lever for human progress—depends on decisions being made right now.
Developed through a partnership between the SDG Academy and the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), this course brings a perspective grounded in the Global South to the challenges of modern urban development, examining how urban sustainability can be delivered with a parallel rise in productivity, and reduced inequality.
Drawing on case studies from multiple cities including Mumbai, Bangkok, Durban, and Melbourne, the course will cover a diverse range of topics over nine modules—from urban poverty reduction, affordable housing, and informal settlements, to sustainable transport and energy systems, smart city infrastructure, and urban agriculture.
You should enrol, if you are:

A practitioner in the fields of urban planning, sustainable development, public policy, and international development, looking to apply SDG 11 frameworks on the ground

A graduate or advanced undergraduate student in architecture, real estate development, sustainable business and related fields, seeking a rigorous, globally-informed urban development course

Working in the private-sector—from the real estate, technology, telecommunications, transportation, or energy industry—whose work affects urban areas

Someone invested in the future of their city or community, seeking to understand the foundations of modern urban development

Why you should enrol:
As governments, investors, and institutions face rising pressure to demonstrate SDG compliance and align urban projects with global sustainability frameworks, fluency in SDG 11—“making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by 2030”—is becoming a valuable professional asset. This course equips you to assess, design, and advocate for urban interventions that meet those standards.
This course teaches you the following :

An overview of governance, land management, utilities, and other entities that make up urban systems

Understanding how poverty, health, economic opportunity, and other people-focused issues impact urban systems and development

How technology is shaping transportation, energy, urban resilience, and more

Case studies of major cities in the Global North and South

By the end of this course, you will:

Understand the major social, economic, and environmental challenges facing urban areas globally, with a focus on cities in the Global South

Recognise how urban systems—governance, infrastructure, public finance, land management, and services—function and interact

Develop an inclusive perspective on urban challenges like reducing poverty, facilitating housing, and improving public health

Identify how local governments, international bodies, community organisations, and private actors can collaborate to finance and implement resilient, sustainable urban development

A self-paced course that confronts the defining urban challenge of our century—how to house, employ, and sustain billions more city dwellers without deepening inequality or environmental breakdown. It is designed to equip policymakers, planners, students, and private-sector actors with analytical frameworks, real-world case studies, and governance strategies needed to build inclusive, resilient cities by 2030.

Duration: 9 weeks

Skills:
- Advocacy
- Case Study
- Economics
- Governance
- Governance and Compliance Strategy
- Infrastructure
- Land Management
- Poverty Reduction
- Public Policies
- Real Estate
- Real Estate Development
- Resilience
- Sustainability
- Sustainable Business
- Sustainable Development
- Telecommunications
- Urban Planning
- Urban Resilience
- Urban Sustainability

Curriculum:
- Module 1: The urban opportunity
- Module 2: What makes a city function?
- Module 3: How can we reduce urban poverty and make cities inclusive and safe?
- Module 4: Making cities productive and reducing inequality
- Module 5: Improving human development in cities
- Module 6: Providing universal urban services and infrastructure
- Module 7: How can cities be resilient?
- Module 8: Governing sustainable cities

- Module 9: Implementing change