CourseCivil, Rail & Smart Cities Applications open

Future of the Post-COVID City Course

Online course of 300 hours in the future of the post-COVID city, structured in 6 modules covering pandemic impacts, mobility and public space, housing and new centralities, health and resilience, and future scenarios, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration3 months
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute certificate

Future of the Post-COVID City Course — studying from New Zealand

Civil engineering is one of New Zealand's largest engineering employers, driven by the need for earthquake-resilient infrastructure, roading, water and wastewater systems across a seismically active country. Major projects include Auckland's City Rail Link and Wellington's transport upgrades, with rail maintained largely by KiwiRail. Engineers work for consultancies, contractors and councils, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment administers the Building Act and related standards, while Waka Kotahi manages the national land transport network.

Fees for New Zealand: NZ$1,080 (New Zealand dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.

Relevant bodies in New Zealand

  • Engineering New Zealand
  • New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
  • KiwiRail

Typical roles

  • Civil Engineer
  • Structural Engineer
  • Transport Planning Engineer
  • Rail Infrastructure Engineer

Questions from New Zealand

What is the recognition pathway for civil and rail engineers in New Zealand?

Engineering New Zealand administers Chartered Professional Engineer registration, which is the main recognised professional standard for civil engineers. Rail is regulated through the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of Transport. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by a national body, so employers or the relevant body decide how much weight to give them.

Who hires civil, rail and smart city engineers in New Zealand?

Employers include city and regional councils, central government agencies, consultancies, contractors, and rail and transport operators. Smart city roles increasingly combine infrastructure knowledge with data and digital systems. Hiring usually depends on registration, experience and project records, so a private qualification is a supporting credential rather than a guaranteed entry point.

Will I need a visa, and how do fees and employer funding work?

No student visa is needed to study from home, because all programmes are 100% online and taught in English. Each programme includes an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Master's programmes take 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and specialist courses 300, so check the time commitment against your workload.

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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Analyse the impacts of COVID-19 on urban form and how cities function.

02

Evaluate the mobility and public-space measures adopted during the pandemic.

03

Understand the changes in housing, work and urban centralities.

04

Integrate health and ventilation criteria into buildings and facilities.

05

Apply foresight methods and scenario building.

06

Identify funding opportunities for urban transformation.

07

Prepare a coherent, measurable post-COVID urban strategy.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Strategic urban planners rethinking their cities after the pandemic.
  • Mobility consultants working on post-COVID transport and public-space measures.
  • Urban resilience officers preparing for future crises.
  • Foresight analysts building long-term urban scenarios.
  • Public-space officers involved in pedestrianisation and tactical urbanism.
  • Recovery fund managers handling urban transformation projects.
  • Engineering or science graduates looking to move into local government.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • Royal Decree 1027/2007 (Spanish Regulation on Thermal Installations in Buildings, RITE)
  • Royal Decree-law 36/2020 (measures to implement the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan)
  • Law 7/2021 (Spanish climate change and energy transition law)
  • Law 33/2011 (Spanish General Public Health Law)
  • Royal Decree 1052/2022 (low-emission zones)
  • Law 10/2021 (Spanish remote working law)
  • UNE 171330-2 (indoor environmental quality)
  • QGIS
  • Python with pandas
  • Microsoft Power BI
  • PTV Visum
  • Miro
Syllabus

6 modules

  1. 1.1Impacts of COVID-19 on cities
  2. 1.2Density and contagion: the evidence
  3. 1.3Historical pandemics and urban reforms
  4. 1.4Inequalities revealed by the pandemic
  5. 1.5Mobility during lockdown
  6. 1.6Urban economy and local retail
  7. 1.7Tourism and historic centres
  8. 1.8Local government response
  9. 1.9Lessons from the UN-Habitat report on cities and pandemics
  10. 1.10Case study: analysis of 2020 mobility data
  1. 2.1Tactical urbanism and pop-up cycle lanes
  2. 2.2Pedestrianisation and superblocks
  3. 2.3Recovery of public transport
  4. 2.4Micromobility and shared systems
  5. 2.5Terraces and commercial use of public space
  6. 2.6School streets and safe environments
  7. 2.7Urban logistics and e-commerce
  8. 2.8Low-emission zones
  9. 2.9The fifteen-minute city after the pandemic
  10. 2.10Workshop: tactical urbanism plan for a commercial street
  1. 3.1Remote working and residential demand
  2. 3.2Adequate housing: ventilation, light and outdoor space
  3. 3.3Migration to suburbs and rural areas
  4. 3.4Vacant offices and change of use
  5. 3.5Local coworking spaces
  6. 3.6Polycentric centralities and decentralisation
  7. 3.7Neighbourhood facilities
  8. 3.8The digital divide and connectivity
  9. 3.9Habitability in building regulations
  10. 3.10Case study: conversion of an office building
  1. 4.1Ventilation and indoor air quality
  2. 4.2Designing spaces for distancing and occupancy limits
  3. 4.3Flexible hospitals and healthcare facilities
  4. 4.4Continuity plans for urban services
  5. 4.5Wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance
  6. 4.6Resilience to cascading crises
  7. 4.7Multi-level emergency governance
  8. 4.8Healthy cities and prevention
  9. 4.9Data and privacy in contact tracing
  10. 4.10Practical exercise: ventilation plan for a public facility
  1. 5.1Urban foresight methods
  2. 5.2Scenario analysis and megatrends
  3. 5.3Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan
  4. 5.4New European Bauhaus
  5. 5.5Mission for 100 climate-neutral cities
  6. 5.6Digital transition and urban digital twins
  7. 5.7Circular and local economy
  8. 5.8Urban recovery indicators
  9. 5.9Evaluation of post-pandemic measures
  10. 5.10Workshop: building urban scenarios for 2040
  1. 6.1Selection of the city or district
  2. 6.2Diagnosis of pandemic impacts
  3. 6.3Future scenarios to 2040
  4. 6.4Mobility and public space strategy
  5. 6.5Housing and centralities strategy
  6. 6.6Health and resilience measures
  7. 6.7Recovery and monitoring indicators
  8. 6.8Phased implementation plan
  9. 6.9Report and presentation
  10. 6.10Final project: final review with your tutor
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

Training 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 each intake, so the programme fits around your job.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original regulations and applied exercises. The working software is QGIS, Python with pandas, Microsoft Power BI, PTV Visum and Miro, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Exercises are based on real procedures for analysing changes in urban mobility, designing tactical urbanism interventions and building urban future scenarios. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.

Standards covered: Royal Decree 1027/2007 (RITE); Royal Decree-law 36/2020; Law 7/2021; Law 33/2011; Royal Decree 1052/2022; Law 10/2021; UNE 171330-2.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of RITE (Royal Decree 1027/2007), Royal Decree-law 36/2020 and Law 7/2021 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:QGIS, Python with pandas, Microsoft Power BI, PTV Visum and Miro, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Final project:a post-COVID strategy for a city or district, from impact diagnosis and 2040 scenarios to a phased implementation plan, reviewed by your tutor.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Pandemic impact diagnosis
Analyse how the pandemic affected mobility, housing and the local economy in your chosen city or district.
Scenarios to 2040
Build future scenarios using urban foresight methods and megatrend analysis.
Mobility and public-space strategy
Design tactical urbanism, pedestrianisation and public-transport measures.
Health and resilience measures
Define ventilation, continuity and crisis-resilience measures for buildings and services.
Final project
Present a phased post-COVID strategy with recovery indicators, reviewed by your tutor.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Strategic urban plannerMobility consultantUrban resilience officerForesight analystPublic-space officerRecovery fund manager
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • No prior qualification is required.
  • An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme 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.

FAQ

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 QGIS, Python with pandas, Microsoft Power BI, PTV Visum and Miro, 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 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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