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17+ Online Urban Planning Courses to Pursue

17+ Online Urban Planning Courses to Pursue

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Apr 03, 2021 04:18 PM IST | #Urban Planning and Design

Urban planning courses are concerned with the development of land and the revitalization of existing parts of the city. Online Courses on Urban Planning involves a host of different activities, including goal setting, forecasting, data collection and analysis, design, strategic thinking, and public consultation. Urban Planning courses play a major role in fulfilling the goal of sustainable development. Urban planners strive to ensure judicious use of the resources through their developmental plans and thereby maintain a balance between economic growth and the need to protect the environment. Urban Planning is an emerging field that offers a variety of career options.

17+ Online Urban Planning Courses to Pursue
17+ Online Urban Planning Courses to Pursue

Also Read: Career as Urban Planner

17+ Online Courses on Urban Planning

Mentioned below are the Urban planning courses along with their specifications:

Urban Planning Course

Platform

Cost

Duration

Global Housing Design

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

6 Weeks(4–5 hours per week)

Introduction to GIS Mapping

Coursera

Free

Approx. 14 hours

Smart Cities – Management of Smart Urban Infrastructures

Coursera

Free

Approx. 13 hours

Rethink the City: New Approaches to Global and Local Urban Challenges

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

7 Weeks(3–4 hours per week)

Site Planning Online

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

10 Weeks(4–6 hours per week)

What do Architects and Urban Planners do?

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹3,624

3 Weeks(2–3 hours per week)

Urban Planning Criteria

Alison

Free

1.5-3 Hours

Diploma in Geo-Spatial Analysis in Urban Planning

Alison

Free

10-15 Hours

Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities

Coursera

Free

Approx. 7 hours

Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

6 Weeks(4–5 hours per week)

Urban Nature: Connecting Cities, Nature and Innovation

Coursera

Free

Approx. 13 hours

Management of Urban Infrastructures

Coursera

Free

Approx. 12 hours

GIS Data Acquisition and Map Design

Coursera

Free

Approx. 20 hours

Planning & Design of Sanitation Systems and Technologies

Coursera

Free

Approx. 17 hours

Urban Design for the Public Good: Dutch Urbanism

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹3,698

8 Weeks(4–6 hours per week)

Landscape Architecture and Site Planning - Introduction to Landscape Design

Alison

Free

3-4 Hours

Sustainable Urban Development

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹3,698

7 Weeks(4–6 hours per week)

Leveraging Urban Mobility Disruptions to Create Better Cities

edX

FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

10 Weeks(2–6 hours per week)

Note: The data has been collected by Careers360. Figures may vary accordingly.

17+ Online Courses on Urban Planning

  1. Global Housing Design

This urban planning Certification Course is offered by the Delft University of Technology and is one of the best urban planning courses available online. It aims at teaching you the key design strategies that are required for the development of adequate housing and inclusive dwelling environments for sustainable development. You will learn to identify the social practices which determine the quality of existing dwelling communities, recognizing design approaches that can contribute to the development of adequate housing, and compare the housing schemes designed by different architects. The Online urban planning Courses syllabus includes modules on incrementality, the importance of creating a typological mix in housing settlements, and clustering as a design strategy for creating meaningful communities.

  • Platform: edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

  • Duration: 6 Weeks(4–5 hours per week)

  1. Introduction to GIS Mapping

In this urban planning Certificate Courses, you will learn about Geographic Information System (GIS), Cartography, Esri, Mapping and

Spatial Analysis. The urban planning courses syllabus includes GIS, ArcGIS, Mapping Locations with Coordinate System, and Map Projections, including the Purpose of map projections, etc.

  • Platform: Coursera

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: Approx. 14 hours

  1. Smart Cities – Management of Smart Urban Infrastructures

This is one of the best online urban planning courses available. It deals with the management of urban infrastructures. In this course, you will get to learn about City Planning, City Management, and managing the transition from legacy infrastructures to smart urban systems. The urban planning Certification Courses Curriculum includes Introduction to Smart Urban Infrastructures and Smart Cities, Smart Urban Energy Systems, Smart Urban Transportation Systems, and Transition of legacy cities to Smart Cities.

  • Platform: Coursera

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: Approx. 13 hours

  1. Rethink the City: New Approaches to Global and Local Urban Challenges

This urban planning diploma course is offered by the Delft University of Technology and is one of the best courses available to learn urban planning. In this urban planning course, you will learn the various urban challenges faced by developing countries and the application of innovative solutions and analytical tools to contemporary urban challenges. You will learn to develop a critical perspective of your urban environment. The course syllabus includes modules on Spatial Justice, Urban Resilience, Housing Provision, and Management, etc.

  • Platform:edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

  • Duration: 7 Weeks(3–4 hours per week)

  1. Site Planning Online

In this urban planning online course offered by the Massachusetts Institute of technology, you will learn about site planning-creating a program and a plan for a site and choosing site infrastructure. The Online urban planning Courses curriculum includes Site analysis, Site planning methods, Site infrastructure, Site concepts and performance, Residential sites, Places for commerce and work, Cultural sites, college and university planning, and Planning communities.

  • Platform:edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

  • Duration: 10 Weeks(4–6 hours per week)

Also Read: African cities : An Introduction to Urban Planning

  1. What do Architects and Urban Planners do?

This urban planning course offered by Wits University is one of the best urban planning courses online. These online courses on urban planning will teach you how spatial design professionals can make a difference in society. Through the course, you will be able to understand what spatial design professionals, including urban planners, architects, and urban designers, exactly do and the various challenges faced by them. You will also learn about the skills that are required in the creative design process.

  • Platform: edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹3,624

  • Duration: 3 Weeks(2–3 hours per week)

Also Read: Career as Architects

  1. Urban Planning Criteria

In this urban planning course offered by NPTEL(National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning), you will learn urban planning and the

different aspects and techniques of spatial analysis related to urban planning. You will also learn to explain the impact of landscape composition on ecological assessments, properties of landscape metrics and their application, describing Urban Sprawl Characterisation, what is Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis(MCDA), and the tools used for it.

  • Platform: Alison

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: 1.5-3 Hours

  1. Diploma in Geo-Spatial Analysis in Urban Planning

The urban planning course has been designed to help you understand the fundamentals of spatial analysis and how to solve various urban planning problems. You will learn the basics of GIS, different types of map projections, how data can be transformed, measuring errors during the process and their rectification, defining topology, and comparing the different types of data analysis techniques. The urban planning Certificate Courses curriculum includes Introduction to GIS and geographic distribution, vector and raster data models, spatial analysis, managing geographical space and spatial analysis, and modeling spatial relationships.

  • Platform: Alison

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: 10-15 Hours

  1. Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities

This is one of the best sustainable urban planning courses available. It is offered by Lund University. It focuses on shaping urban planning and development for achieving the goal of sustainable development by forming sustainable cities. The course curriculum includes Urban Transformation, Urban Infrastructure, Urban Experimentation, Urban Lifestyles, and Urban Visions.

  • Platform: Coursera

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: Approx. 7 hours

  1. Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs

This urban planning course is offered by the University of British Columbia. In this course, you will learn about the principles of Ecodesign, strategies to make urban cities more liveable, innovative techniques for implementation of ecodesign. This is one of the best urban design courses available online. The online urban planning courses curriculum includes chapters on How the usual urban growth model operates and the need to change it, Adapting to climate change, Balancing cars and other kinds of transportation, and Making cities more livable and environmentally compatible.

  • Platform: edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

  • Duration: 6 Weeks(4–5 hours per week)

  1. Urban Nature: Connecting Cities, Nature and Innovation

This online urban planning course is offered by Lund University. In this course, you will get to learn about nature-based solutions in an urban world and the relationship between cities, nature, and innovation. The course syllabus includes various topics such as an International overview of nature-based solutions, Assessment methods for nature-based solutions, Governance strategies for nature-based solutions, Business models for nature-based solutions, Business models for nature-based solutions, and Innovation pathways for nature-based solutions.

  • Platform: Coursera

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: Approx. 13 hours

Also Read: Urban Disaster Risk Mitigation & Climate Resilient Development

  1. Management of Urban Infrastructures

Another one of the best urban planning courses, this course will teach you various skills, including Project Management and City Management. You will learn about the basic principles of urban infrastructure management, which play a major role in building efficient, resilient, and sustainable cities. The course syllabus includes Introduction to Urban Infrastructures, Principles of Urban Infrastructure Management, Urban Energy Management, and Urban Transport Management.

  • Platform: Coursera

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: Approx. 12 hours

  1. GIS Data Acquisition and Map Design

In this online urban planning course offered by the University of Toronto, you will learn about finding GIS data for your projects and creating a well-designed map that effectively represents your perspective. The urban planning course curriculum includes GIS File Types, Data Models, and Topology; Finding data and preparing it for your project, Map Design Principles, Mapping Quantitative Data, Quantitative Map Types and

Making Your Map.

  • Platform: Coursera

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: Approx. 20 hours

  1. Planning & Design of Sanitation Systems and Technologies

The urban planning course has been designed to provide you comprehensive knowledge on Urban Planning, Environmental Protection, Engineering Design, and Wastewater Engineering. You will learn urban planning, sanitation planning, and the importance of systems thinking for urban environmental sanitation. The course curriculum includes Introduction to sanitation planning & systems approach, Sanitation systems & technologies, Case studies on Urban sanitation solutions, and Urban sanitation tools.

  • Platform: Coursera

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration: Approx. 17 hours

  1. Urban Design for the Public Good: Dutch Urbanism

This online urban planning course offered by Delft University of technology is one of the best design courses available. You will learn to design landscapes and cities based on a dutch approach. This urban planning certificate course will teach you the basics of Dutch urbanism, drawing maps of the environment and performing urban analysis on them, and how to apply your findings in design activities. The online course for urban planning curriculum includes the concept of "public goods," the role of the natural landscape in any urban environment, Urban Metabolism, data-driven design. This course will aid you in diversifying your knowledge of urban planning and urban design.

  • Platform: edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹3,698

  • Duration: 8 Weeks(4–6 hours per week)

  1. Landscape Architecture and Site Planning - Introduction to Landscape Design

This course will teach you everything about landscape architecture and site planning. It aims at helping you understand the fundamentals of landscape design, methods of landscaping, and the difference between landscape design and architectural design. The course curriculum includes the study of landscape design, its categories, scope, and objectives.

  • Platform: Alison

  • Cost: Free

  • Duration:3-4 Hours

  1. Sustainable Urban Development

As the name suggests, this course will take you through the meaning of Sustainable Urban Development and various concepts associated with it. It is one of the best urban development courses available online. You will get to learn about the various challenges faced by metropolitan regions and how to respond to these challenges, and finding out innovative solutions for our urban living environment.

  • Platform: edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹3,698

  • Duration: 7 Weeks(4–6 hours per week)

  1. Leveraging Urban Mobility Disruptions to Create Better Cities

This online urban planning course will teach you about land use development, urban economies, transportation pricing and inspection, evaluation, and identification of transportation equity in a variety of global settings. You will also learn about new mobility pricing schemes and understand the difference between various business models. This course will make you ready to transform your cities into sustainable, joyful, and equitable cities.

  • Platform: edX

  • Cost: FREE, Add a Verified Certificate for ₹7,323

  • Duration: 10 Weeks(2–6 hours per week)

Also Read: Sustainable Urban Development

Conclusion

If you are someone who is passionate about societal development and improving the quality of living, then a career in urban planning is best suited for you. With the rising population and the need for urbanization, the demand for urban planning professionals is also increasing. You can become a part of major projects such as transport, cultural sites, public spaces, and finance, etc. You can also work as an urban planner in a government department or international consulting company. Thus, urban planning jobs can provide you both a good salary and various exciting opportunities for growth.

Also read -

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the various degree programs available in urban planning?

You can pursue a bachelor of urban planning course or a PG Diploma in urban planning & development(masters or urban planning) or an MBA in urban planning.

2. Which is the best university to do a PG diploma in urban planning?

You can pursue a PG diploma in urban planning from Indira Gandhi National Open University.

3. Which is the best college offering a bachelor of urban design degree?

CEPT University is one of the best universities offering a bachelor of urban design degree.

4. Are there any urban planning short courses available online?

Yes, many urban planning short courses are available online on various platforms, such as the 'Urban Planning Criteria' course offered by Alison.

5. Are there any urban Management courses available online?

Yes, you can enroll in 'Smart Cities – Management of Smart Urban Infrastructures' offered by Coursera to learn about urban management.

6. Which is the best college to do MBA in urban management?

Some of the best colleges to do an MBA in urban management are St. Joseph college of business administration, Xavier institute of management, and CEPT University, Ahmedabad.

7. Are there any urban design courses available online?

Some of the urban design courses available online are 'Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs'  and 'Urban Design for the Public Good: Dutch Urbanism' courses offered by edX.

8. Which is the best course to learn urban planning for a beginner?

'Urban Planning Criteria' course on Alison is one of the best online courses to learn urban planning if you are a beginner.

9. Which are some of the best urban planning courses online?

Some of the best urban planning courses available online are 'What do Architects and Urban Planners do?' by edX and 'Diploma in Geo-Spatial Analysis in Urban Planning' by Alison.

10. What is the basic salary of an urban planner?

The salary of an urban planner varies according to his rank and level. The salary of an urban planner at the entry-level is about  Rs35,000 per month, and an experienced urban planner earns an average salary of about Rs80,000 to Rs90,000 p.m.

11. Which are some of the top colleges offering urban planning courses?

Some of the best colleges offering urban planning courses are

  • Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai

  • Guru Ram Das School of Planning, Punjab

  • School of Planning and Architecture Delhi

  • Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi

  • Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal

  • Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad

  • CEPT, Ahmedabad

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