Bringing Urban Nature Into the Cities of Tomorrow (FutureLearn)

Bringing Urban Nature Into the Cities of Tomorrow (FutureLearn)

Learn why bringing nature into cities is essential for future urban planning, and how to do it successfully. See how nature can protect cities against extreme weather and other threats. There are many challenges facing cities today, including rapid population growth, climate change, extreme weather threats, food security, and the social and economic impact that these issues bring. This course from RMIT will show you how effective urban nature can be in overcoming these challenges.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

By the end of the two-week course, you’ll understand the evidence-based impact of bringing nature into cities and will be ready to apply the principle to your urban planning.

Understand the nature-based solutions that can be used for maximum social and environmental impact
In the first week of the course you’ll take a closer look at the types of nature-based solutions that are available.
You’ll also learn more about the effect biodiversity has on human health, and a city’s ability to resist extreme weather and climate change.

Learn how to implement nature-based solutions in your urban planning
Once you have a clear understanding of the positive environmental impact that biodiversity has on urban nature, you’ll explore the nature-based solutions that can create biodiversity.
You’ll also cover the need for capacity and resources, how to select the solution you’ll apply, and how citizens can be engaged in the process for maximum social impact.

Study urban nature principles with leading experts
Both educators on this course have years of experience and expertise, with their areas of interest including human behaviour’s role in conservation and urban biodiversity conservation.

What topics will you cover?
This course will answer the following questions:

  • What are nature-based solutions in cities?
  • What are the benefits of bringing nature into cities?
  • How can nature-based solutions in cities be designed? What do these look like in practice?
  • How can citizens be engaged in nature-based solutions?

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Interpret the environmental and social impact of nature-based solutions
  • Investigate the evidence-based impact of building nature into cities understand the environmental and social impact of nature-based solutions explore approaches to designing and deli
  • Explore approaches to designing and delivering nature-based solutions to address urban challenges
  • Identify how biodiversity impacts human health, wellbeing and environmental resilience

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for all city officials and urban planning professionals, including designers and developers, who want to make urban nature a top priority in their projects.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Urban Air Mobility (Coursera) Coursera
Technische Universität München - TUM

Urban Air Mobility (Coursera)

Sneak preview: The course modules will be gradually expanded over the next few weeks and new videos and quizzes will be added to further expand the existing course. // This course is primarily aimed at master students and phd-candidates interested in exploring new fields in aerospace. The course gives a first introduction into the relatively new field of Urban Air Mobility, explaining the technical background as well a giving an overview of all other necessities such as air traffic management, public acceptance or ecological sustainability.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Ciudades en Transición (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana

Ciudades en Transición (Coursera)

Bienvenidas y bienvenidos al curso Ciudades en Transición: visiones internacionales de temas de lo urbano. En los 4 módulos analizaremos los procesos emergentes en las ciudades desde un panorama internacional e intercultural. El objetivo de este curso es mejorar la comprensión de los procesos emergentes que experimentan las ciudades desde un panorama internacional e intercultural.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Placemaking and Public Space Design: Unlocking Place Potential (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Luleå University of Technology

Placemaking and Public Space Design: Unlocking Place Potential (FutureLearn)

Gain valuable insights into microclimate effects on urban planning, and learn to design successful tourist and residential areas. Understand and maximise place potential in urban planning. Successful placemaking means creating spaces that work for both tourists and residents, and with both the environment and the climate. This skill is increasingly important as the need to create sustainable, attractive urban areas is better understood.

Dec 13th 2021
2 Weeks
(Re)Imagining Port Cities: Understanding Space, Society and Culture (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

(Re)Imagining Port Cities: Understanding Space, Society and Culture (edX)

Port city regions are at the forefront of many urgent contemporary issues such as migration, climate change, digitization, etc. Addressing these challenges and developing sustainable solutions, requires more than technical interventions, it requires rethinking and redesigning the basic spatial and socio-cultural paradigms that prevail at present. In this course we will analyze examples of port cities from a multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural perspective. You will develop the skills to identify and address the challenges port cities face now and into the future.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Transforming Urban Mobility: Introduction to Transport Planning for Sustainable Cities (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London,Transforming Urban Mobility Initiative - TUMI,GIZ

Transforming Urban Mobility: Introduction to Transport Planning for Sustainable Cities (FutureLearn)

Discover the different dimensions of sustainable urban mobility, including the Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) framework. Good transport systems and projects are critical to the development of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive cities. This course considers the impacts of motorisation, our current unsustainable travel patterns, and the framework for changing to sustainable urban mobility.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Cities are back in town : sociologie urbaine pour un monde globalisé (Coursera) Coursera
Sciences Po

Cities are back in town : sociologie urbaine pour un monde globalisé (Coursera)

La mondialisation et l'européanisation favorisent le développement rapide des villes à travers le monde. L'urbanisation atteint de nouveaux sommets aujourd’hui avec l'essor des mégacités (plus de 15 millions d'habitants) comme Calcutta, Los Angeles, Dhaka, Le Caire, Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Mexico ou Séoul. Au-delà de la métropole moderne, les chercheurs tentent de donner un sens à ces grandes régions urbaines au moyen de concepts divers tels que « post-métropoles », « villes globales », et « régions métropolitaines globales ».

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Sustainable Cities: Governing Urban Adaptation Under Climate Change (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Groningen,Global Center on Adaptation

Sustainable Cities: Governing Urban Adaptation Under Climate Change (FutureLearn)

Discover expert governance strategies for preparing urban areas to face the challenges posed by climate change. Learn how cities can successfully adapt to environmental change. In this course, you will investigate how governance strategies and policies for making cities more sustainable and resilient in the face of increasing climate risks can be financed and implemented.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Sustainable Urban Development (edX) EdX
Wageningen University,Delft University of Technology,DelftX,WageningenX

Sustainable Urban Development (edX)

Learn why cities are key in resolving global urbanization and sustainability challenges and how you can engineer tomorrow’s cities today. Did you know that cities take up less than 3% of the earth’s land surface, but more than 50% of the world’s population live in them? And, cities generate more than 70% of the global emissions? Large cities and their hinterlands (jointly called metropolitan regions) greatly contribute to global urbanization and sustainability challenges, yet are also key to resolving these same challenges.

Self Paced
Self-Paced