Course on Urban Planning Resilient to Climate Change
Online course of 300 hours in climate-resilient urban planning: 6 modules covering climate and risk in the city, vulnerability and risk assessment, green and blue infrastructure, adaptive planning and modelling and monitoring, with an assigned technical tutor.
Course on Urban Planning Resilient to Climate Change — studying from South Africa
Civil engineering is central to South Africa's infrastructure, from roads and water systems to rail and urban development. Transnet's freight rail network, the Gautrain system in Gauteng and metropolitan projects in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg create steady demand for engineers. Large contractors and consultancies, along with public agencies such as the South African National Roads Agency Limited, employ specialists in structures, transport and urban systems. Smart city initiatives increasingly combine civil works with digital monitoring and sustainable design.
Fees for South Africa: R 10 200 (South African rand), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in South Africa
Typical roles
Questions from South Africa
Which South African body registers civil engineers, and would SEIUM qualifications count towards registration?
ECSA registers engineering professionals in South Africa, and built environment professionals are registered through SACPCMP and SACAP. Registration requires recognised qualifications, supervised experience and assessment. SEIUM is a private online institute, and its qualifications are not official state degrees or accredited by a national body. Whether they count is decided by ECSA or the relevant body and your employer, so verify before enrolling.
Will this programme help me work on rail or smart city projects in South Africa?
South Africa has ongoing infrastructure, rail and urban development work, with projects involving public bodies, engineering consultancies and contractors. Employers typically seek registered professionals with proven project experience. A private online qualification in smart cities or rail can support your profile, but it does not guarantee work on any project. Speak to potential employers about how they view it.
Can I study alongside a full-time job, and can my employer help pay?
Yes, the programme is 100% online, so you can study around work, though you need a reasonable level of English as teaching is in English. Master's programmes take 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, with a technical tutor. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible. Many employers in South Africa fund professional development, so ask yours.
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
Interpret climate scenarios and translate them into urban hazards.
Assess the vulnerability and climate risk of neighbourhoods and assets.
Design nature-based solutions and sustainable drainage systems.
Integrate adaptation criteria into urban planning.
Model runoff and thermal comfort with specialist tools.
Define resilience indicators and monitoring systems.
Produce a viable and fundable urban resilience plan.
Who it's for
- Climate change adaptation technicians
- Urban planners
- Urban resilience consultants
- Green infrastructure technicians
- Climate risk analysts
- Climate action plan managers
- Engineering or science graduates looking to move into local and regional government
What you'll work with
- ISO 14091 (climate change adaptation: vulnerability, impacts and risk assessment)
- ISO 37123 (indicators for resilient cities)
- Law 7/2021 (Spanish climate change and energy transition law)
- Royal Decree 903/2010 (assessment and management of flood risks)
- Directive 2007/60/EC (EU Floods Directive)
- Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (disaster risk reduction)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 (Nature Restoration Regulation)
- ISO 14090 (climate change adaptation: principles and requirements)
- QGIS
- EPA SWMM
- ENVI-met
- HEC-RAS
- AdapteCCa scenario viewer
6 modules
1.1IPCC climate scenarios: SSP and RCP1.2Climate downscaling and AdapteCCa viewers1.3Urban heat island: mechanisms and measurement1.4Pluvial, fluvial and coastal flooding1.5Drought and urban water stress1.6The concept of risk: hazard, exposure and vulnerability1.7Sendai Framework and urban resilience1.8Resilient cities: UNDRR tools1.9Interdependencies between critical infrastructures1.10Workshop: reading local climate projections
2.1Climate risk analysis methodologies2.2Social vulnerability indicators2.3Flood hazard mapping2.4Heat risk maps and sensitive population2.5Risk assessment under ISO 140912.6Impact chains and multi-criteria analysis2.7Satellite land surface temperature data2.8Inventory of exposed assets and services2.9Prioritisation of critical areas2.10Practical exercise: heat vulnerability map of a district
3.1Nature-based solutions for climate3.2Sustainable urban drainage systems3.3Floodable parks and attenuation plains3.4Urban trees and thermal comfort3.5Green roofs and façades3.6Renaturalisation of urban watercourses3.7Ecological corridors and connectivity3.8Maintenance and management of green infrastructure3.9Quantifying ecosystem services3.10Case study: SuDS design for a residential street
4.1Integrating adaptation into the general plan4.2Planning regulations for flooding4.3Urban morphology, ventilation and shade4.4Materials and albedo in public space4.5Climate shelters and cooling facilities4.6Sustainable energy and climate action plans4.7Adaptive decision-making pathways4.8Financing urban adaptation4.9Citizen participation in resilience4.10Workshop: adaptation measures in a partial plan
5.1Urban hydrological models with SWMM5.2Microclimate simulation with ENVI-met5.3Thermal comfort assessment: UTCI and PET5.4Cost-benefit analysis of adaptation measures5.5Resilience indicators and monitoring5.6Urban early warning systems5.7Digital twins for risk management5.8Lessons from recent extreme events5.9Assessing maladaptation5.10Lab: runoff simulation with SWMM
6.1Selection of the area and priority hazards6.2Climate and vulnerability diagnosis6.3Resilience objectives and targets6.4Portfolio of green, blue and grey measures6.5Modelling of expected effects6.6Investment and financing programme6.7Indicators and monitoring plan6.8Participation strategy6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training 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 the course is compatible with full-time work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standards and applied exercises. The working software is QGIS, EPA SWMM, ENVI-met, HEC-RAS and the AdapteCCa scenario viewer, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Real procedures are studied, including pluvial flood risk analysis in a neighbourhood, assessment of the heat island effect and thermal comfort, and the design of sustainable drainage measures. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final integrating project.
Standards covered: ISO 14091; ISO 37123; Law 7/2021 on Climate Change and Energy Transition; Royal Decree 903/2010; Directive 2007/60/EC; Sendai Framework 2015-2030; Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 (Nature Restoration); ISO 14090.
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 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.
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, EPA SWMM, ENVI-met, HEC-RAS and the AdapteCCa scenario viewer, 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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