Search the UrbanShift site to find publications, articles, blogs, webinars, people, and other resources to support you in learning about integrated approaches to urban development.
The UrbanShift City Academy offers city officials and urban practitioners open access to eight self-paced online courses, focused on urban planning themes that are critical to shaping low-carbon, climate-resilient and inclusive cities. The courses have been developed by experts at the UN Environment Programme, World Resources Institute, C40 Cities, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, and other global partners.
Learn how cities can protect biodiversity and secure the benefits of healthy ecosystems for all residents. This course focuses on biodiversity strategy in the context of city priorities, constraints, and planning processes. It provides learners with tools they can use to integrate nature-supportive actions into wider urban practices.
Explore how cities around the world are turning to Nature-based Solutions to tackle some of their most pressing challenges. Find out about the key elements needed to implement contextually appropriate, multifunctional and cost-effective Nature-based Solutions in global South cities.
Targeted at urban decision-makers and planners, this course describes how to think about urban planning as an integrated process. You will learn about the concept of integrated urban planning, the benefits of integration, the process for IUP implementation, its applications in the global south through case studies and the use of data for decision making.
Initiating a circular economic system in cities can bring a wealth of economic, social, and environmental gains. A circular model reduces costs and eliminates waste while fostering economic productivity and green, local jobs. In this course, learn how your city can benefit from moving away from the “take-make-waste” economic system and implementing circular strategies.
Municipalities, especially in the rapidly growing cities in Global South, must now prepare their cities to accommodate their anticipated growth through both densification and climate-resilient urban expansion. This course provides the conceptual framework, the methodologies, the statistical evidence, the case studies, and the readings required to gain both the knowledge and the confidence to plan and implement these strategies.
The goal of this course is to increase the capacity of city-level actors to mobilize and access finance for sustainable and climate-resilient urban infrastructure projects. It offers guidance to subnational governments to better understand the planning, design, and financing processes for these critical projects, shaping net-zero cities that are able to meet the needs of all their residents.
