Course on Urban Sustainability Indicators
Online 300-hour course on Urban Sustainability Indicators. 6 modules covering ISO 37120:2018, ISO 37101:2016 and R. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Course on Urban Sustainability Indicators — studying from Australia
Australia's infrastructure pipeline is substantial, covering roads, rail, ports, water and urban development across major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Rail engineering is especially active, with projects including Sydney Metro and Melbourne Metro. Smart city initiatives draw on sensors, data platforms and digital twins to improve transport, utilities and public services. Employers include state transport authorities, engineering consultancies such as Aurecon and WSP, and major contractors. Engineers work on design, asset management, construction oversight and sustainability.
Fees for Australia: A$1,020 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Australia
Typical roles
Questions from Australia
Does a SEIUM qualification meet Australian civil engineering registration requirements?
No. Civil engineers in Australia typically need an Engineers Australia accredited degree to pursue Chartered status, and state and territory rail and infrastructure regulators set their own requirements. SEIUM's private qualifications are not accredited by these bodies, so employers or regulators decide how much weight they carry.
Which Australian employers hire in civil, rail and smart cities?
Australia has public infrastructure agencies, rail operators, engineering consultancies and councils working on urban and smart city projects. Employers usually prioritise accredited qualifications, licensing and project experience. Ask potential employers whether a private online qualification would be considered alongside your experience.
Is the course workable alongside work, and what does it cost?
The courses are 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from anywhere in Australia without a student visa. Specialist courses take 300 hours, diplomas 800 and master's 1,900, so plan your time accordingly. Fees are payable in instalments, employer sponsorship may be possible, and you will have an assigned technical tutor.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Understand the conceptual frameworks for measuring urban sustainability.
Apply the ISO standards for city indicators.
Calculate environmental, social and economic indicators using real data.
Build composite indices with sensitivity analysis.
Prepare traceable methodological sheets.
Design dashboards for municipal management.
Assess a city's progress towards the SDGs.
Who it's for
- Urban sustainability analyst wishing to specialise in Urban Sustainability Indicators.
- Urban Agenda technician wishing to specialise in Urban Sustainability Indicators.
- SDG consultant wishing to specialise in Urban Sustainability Indicators.
- Municipal statistics technician wishing to specialise in Urban Sustainability Indicators.
- Urban observatory manager wishing to specialise in Urban Sustainability Indicators.
- Environmental technician wishing to specialise in Urban Sustainability Indicators.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter local government.
What you'll work with
- ISO 37120:2018
- ISO 37101:2016
- ISO 37122:2019
- ISO 37123:2019
- UNE 178201:2016
- 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN, 2015)
- Law 7/2021 on Climate Change and Energy Transition
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Environmental, social and economic dimensions1.2Pressure-state-response conceptual framework1.3SDG 11 and urban targets1.4Localisation of the SDGs1.5Spanish Urban Agenda and its indicators1.6Difference between indicator, index and target1.7Urban, district and neighbourhood scales1.8Limitations and biases of measurement1.9International composite indices1.10Workshop: indicator tree for a city
2.1ISO 37120 and its 19 themes2.2ISO 37101 and management systems2.3ISO 37122 and 37123 complementary standards2.4UNE 178201 on smart cities2.5Indicators of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities2.6UN-Habitat Urban Indicators Framework2.7Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities2.8European Green City Indicators2.9WCCD certification2.10Case study: comparison of two indicator systems
3.1Municipal carbon footprint3.2Air quality and noise3.3Water consumption and network losses3.4Waste and recycling rate3.5Sustainable mobility and modal split3.6Green areas and park accessibility3.7Housing and urban vulnerability3.8Local economy and employment3.9Governance and transparency3.10Practice: calculating indicators with open data
4.1Statistical and administrative sources4.2Geospatial data and remote sensing4.3Normalisation and weighting4.4Principal component analysis4.5Aggregation in composite indices4.6Sensitivity analysis4.7Metadata and indicator sheets4.8Data quality and traceability4.9Time series and trends4.10Laboratory: building a composite index in R
5.1Municipal dashboards5.2Voluntary local SDG reports5.3Linking to budgets5.4Evidence-based policy evaluation5.5Benchmarking between cities5.6Visualisation and public communication5.7Citizen participation in selection5.8Governance of indicator systems5.9Risks of political use5.10Workshop: sustainability dashboard
6.1Municipal context and objectives6.2Selection and justification of indicators6.3Methodological sheets6.4Calculation with real data6.5Dashboard and visualisation6.6Improvement recommendations6.7Sensitivity analysis of the index6.8Voluntary local SDG report6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and a assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetable: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is R, QGIS, Power BI, Python (pandas), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real indicator calculation procedures with open municipal data, construction of a composite sustainability index, and preparation of a voluntary local SDG report. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Understand the conceptual frameworks for measuring urban sustainability.
Apply the ISO standards for city indicators.
Calculate environmental, social and economic indicators using real data.
Build composite indices with sensitivity analysis.
Prepare traceable methodological sheets.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient Spanish to follow technical regulatory reading.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme is 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with a full-time job.
The work is carried out with R, QGIS, Power BI, Python (pandas). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the open-source alternative where one exists.
An own SEIUM diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. This is in-house training, not an official Ministry qualification.
Yes. Modules passed in a Course or Postgraduate Diploma in the same area are credited towards the advanced programme. Please check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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