Course on Urban Heat Island and Nature-Based Solutions
Online course of 300 hours in urban heat islands and nature-based solutions, structured in 6 modules covering the physics of the heat island, measurement and diagnosis, nature-based solutions, urban design solutions and assessment and planning under the Nature Restoration Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 and the IUCN Global Standard, with an assigned technical tutor.
Course on Urban Heat Island and Nature-Based Solutions — studying from Canada
Canada's infrastructure needs drive significant civil engineering activity, from highways and bridges to urban transit and water systems. Major transit projects in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and Calgary involve rail, tunnelling and smart city technologies. Rail operators and suppliers, including Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National, depend on engineering expertise in track, signalling and structures. Provincial ministries of transportation and municipal engineering departments are key employers, alongside consulting firms.
Fees for Canada: C$1,160 (Canadian dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Canada
Typical roles
Questions from Canada
Who regulates civil engineering titles in Canada, and does SEIUM count?
Civil engineers in Canada are typically licensed as Professional Engineers by provincial associations, such as Engineers Canada's member bodies, which set licensing requirements including accredited education and experience. SEIUM is a private institute, and its qualifications are not official state degrees or accredited by a national body. They do not by themselves grant a P.Eng. licence, so check with the relevant association.
Are these qualifications useful to rail or smart city employers in Canada?
Canada has significant rail, transit and urban infrastructure work, including major projects in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Public agencies and consultancies usually prioritise licensed engineers and verifiable experience. A SEIUM qualification may complement your profile, but whether it is recognised is for each employer to decide, so it is worth asking them before you commit.
Can I study part-time while working, and is employer funding possible?
Yes, the programmes are 100% online, so you can study from home without a student visa and fit sessions around work. Specialist courses are 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and master's 1,900. Teaching is in English, and an assigned technical tutor supports you. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible, depending on your employer's policies.
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 physical mechanisms of the urban heat island.
Measure and map urban heat with remote sensing and sensor networks.
Assess thermal comfort with recognised indices.
Design nature-based solutions to counter heat.
Apply materials and urban design to reduce temperatures.
Prioritise interventions using vulnerability and equity criteria.
Develop a heat mitigation project for a neighbourhood.
Who it's for
- Urban climate adaptation technicians.
- Landscape architects designing for heat and shade.
- Urban planners.
- Remote sensing analysts.
- Municipal urban green space officers.
- Nature-based solutions consultants.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to work in local councils.
What you'll work with
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 (EU Nature Restoration Regulation)
- Law 7/2021 (Spanish law on climate change and energy transition)
- National Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2021-2030 (Spain's national adaptation framework)
- IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions (framework for designing and verifying nature-based solutions)
- Spanish Technical Building Code DB-HE (basic document on energy saving)
- National Strategy for Green Infrastructure and Ecological Connectivity and Restoration (Spanish green infrastructure strategy)
- National Plan of Preventive Actions against the Effects of Excess Temperatures on Health (Spanish heat-health plan)
- UNE-EN ISO 7726 (ergonomics of the thermal environment: measuring instruments)
- ENVI-met
- QGIS
- Google Earth Engine
- i-Tree Eco
- Ladybug Tools
6 modules
1.1Urban energy balance1.2Surface and atmospheric heat islands1.3Albedo and emissivity of materials1.4Urban geometry and sky view factor1.5Anthropogenic heat input1.6Local climate zones (LCZ)1.7Interaction with heatwaves1.8Effects on health and mortality1.9Energy consumption for cooling1.10Case study: LCZ classification of a city
2.1Thermal remote sensing with Landsat and Sentinel2.2Land surface temperature2.3Mobile temperature transects2.4Urban weather station networks2.5Comfort indices: UTCI and PET2.6Mean radiant temperature2.7Heat mapping by neighbourhood2.8Heat vulnerability maps2.9Open data and citizen science2.10Practical exercise: land surface temperature map with Landsat
3.1Concept and the IUCN Global Standard3.2Urban trees and shade3.3Parks and green corridors3.4Green roofs and façades3.5Water features and evapotranspiration3.6Selection of resilient species3.7Water requirements and irrigation3.8Associated ecosystem services3.9Biodiversity benefits3.10Workshop: design of a school playground as a climate shelter
4.1Cool and reflective pavements4.2Cool and reflective roofs4.3Street shading4.4Street orientation and ventilation4.5Materials and colour4.6Network of climate shelters4.7Bioclimatic design of squares4.8Combination with sustainable drainage4.9Maintenance of the solutions4.10Lab: microclimate simulation with ENVI-met
5.1Assessment of thermal effectiveness5.2Cost and life cycle5.3Spatial prioritisation of interventions5.4Integration into urban plans5.5Heat-health action plans5.6Funding and European funds5.7Public participation in the process5.8Equity and climate justice5.9Experiences: Medellín, Paris and Barcelona5.10Case study: shade plan for a district
6.1Selection of the urban area6.2Thermal diagnosis of the area6.3Vulnerability analysis6.4Definition of objectives6.5Selection of solutions6.6Scenario simulation6.7Budget and maintenance6.8Monitoring indicators6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
The course is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so it fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original regulations and standards and applied exercises. The working software is ENVI-met, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, i-Tree Eco and Ladybug Tools, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: thermal diagnosis with remote sensing, microclimate simulation of public spaces and design of climate shelters. Assessment is continuous per module plus the final project.
Standards covered: Regulation (EU) 2024/1991; Law 7/2021; National Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2021-2030; IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions; Spanish Technical Building Code DB-HE; National Strategy for Green Infrastructure and Ecological Connectivity and Restoration; National Plan of Preventive Actions against the Effects of Excess Temperatures on Health; UNE-EN ISO 7726.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- An internet connection and a computer able to run the programme's software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
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 totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with ENVI-met, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, i-Tree Eco and Ladybug Tools, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
No prior qualification is required; you need an internet connection, a computer able to run the programme's software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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