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

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

Discover climate’s impact on urban planning, and how to analyse it when creating residential and tourist spaces. Use climate analysis to create better public spaces. When it comes to designing successful urban spaces, which work for both tourists and residents, analysing and understanding the influence of climate is crucial.

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

This three-week course will show you how to use computer-aided modelling in placemaking for better residential and tourism planning.
Unlock your urban planning potential
On this course, you’ll apply integrated urban planning (a holistic approach to the built environment design process, looking at it from all angles) as you use computer-aided climate analysis and 3-D modeling. At the same time, you’ll be developing your ability to create design solutions for sustainable, attractive tourist destinations.
Explore the relationship between weather and placemaking
Weather is a significant factor in residential and tourism planning, and this course offers an in-depth look at the effects it has.
You’ll investigate solar access and shadowing, wind effects, and snow patterns with cutting-edge technology, and will be able to apply what you learn to your urban planning projects.
Trust experts to guide your placemaking studies
Luleå University of Technology has a wealth of experience in industrial engineering and management, and the lead educator of this course has extensive knowledge on design development and design process management. Together, they will give you invaluable insights into how to design urban space.

What topics will you cover?
The course explores three key themes, which together address the overarching question:

  • How can we design successful urban space for residents and tourists?

You will explore how to:

  • Use Computer Aided Design for climate analysis.
  • Model and investigate solar access and shadowing in urban spaces.
  • Simulate wind and wind effects in urban spaces.

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...

  • Explain how different climatic contexts generate different types of public spaces and usage.
  • Create a Computer Aided Design for climate analysis.

-Experiment with how the built environment alters wind and sun patterns.

  • Explain the likely climatic conditions of a place at various time of the year.

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone interested in place-shaping in tourism. Current tourism professionals wishing to upskill, and anyone looking to work in the hospitality industry, will find it invaluable.
What software or tools do you need?
This course uses a range of on-line and open source software for Computer Aided Design and climatic analysis. Applications and systems used are free. Each week, links are provided to where the applications can be found or downloaded from.

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

Related Courses

Explorer l’espace des humains: une introduction à la géographicité (edX) EdX
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne,EPFLx

Explorer l’espace des humains: une introduction à la géographicité (edX)

Explorer comment la géographie, la cartographie, l’urbanisation et la justice spatiale jouent un rôle dans la compréhension de l’espace des humains et des sociétés. Comment définir et comprendre la notion d’espace? Comment l’urbanisation, la mobilité, Internet et la mondialisation ont-ils influencé notre perception du temps et de l’espace? Ce cours a pour objectif de définir la notion d’espace en apportant des clés de lecture pour comprendre les sociétés qui nous entourent.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Unraveling the Cycling City (Coursera) Coursera
University of Amsterdam

Unraveling the Cycling City (Coursera)

Obscured by its apparent simplicity, cycling is a complex phenomenon. Being an almost perfect human-machine hybrid, cycling is deeply rooted in a plethora of socio-technological systems. Around the world cycling is embraced as an important ingredient to tackle a wide variety of individual and societal challenges. The Netherlands is often seen as an ideal living lab, because cycling has retained its significant share of mobility throughout the country.

May 25th 2026
5-12 Weeks
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.

Oct 9th 2023
4 Weeks
Planning for Autonomous Vehicles: A People-Centred Approach (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
EIT Urban Mobility

Planning for Autonomous Vehicles: A People-Centred Approach (FutureLearn)

Learn how autonomous vehicles can improve urban mobility, and how good town planning can ensure they do just that. Successfully incorporate autonomous vehicles into sustainable urban planning. For sustainable future cities, the way people use and move around urban spaces must be reviewed. The town planning done now will have massive impacts on city dwellers’ quality of life in the years to come.

Jan 31st 2022
4 Weeks
Come Rain or Shine: Understanding the Weather (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Come Rain or Shine: Understanding the Weather (FutureLearn)

Understand and explore the physical processes behind the weather. Weather affects our lives almost every day through what we wear, what we eat and what we do. But why is it rainy, windy or sometimes even sunny? Explore some of the physical processes driving UK weather systems and get hands on in the world of weather with practical activities and fieldwork.

No sessions available
3 Weeks
Be Ready: Staying Safe During Disasters (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Be Ready: Staying Safe During Disasters (FutureLearn)

Learn about the key preparedness actions you can take to stay safe during various disasters and extreme weather events. Discover what to do when disaster strikes. As extreme weather events continue to affect the lives of millions of people across the globe, it’s never been more important to know how to stay safe when disaster strikes. On this course, you’ll find out about the key actions you can take to reduce the risks associated with disasters and extreme weather events.

No sessions available
2 Weeks