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

Migration and Cities (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
European University Institute - EUI

Migration and Cities (FutureLearn)

Learn about how migration has shaped cities around the world and the particular issues that migrants face in urban contexts. Discover the fundamental links between migration and cities. Migration has always played a fundamental role in urban development. Without some form of inward migration – be it international or internal – cities would not develop or grow.

Nov 21st 2022
3 Weeks
Planning & Design of Sanitation Systems and Technologies (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Planning & Design of Sanitation Systems and Technologies (Coursera)

Do you want to learn how to plan affordable and context-specific sanitation solutions? Do you want to be updated on the newest developments in urban sanitation planning and programming? Do you want to get insights about best practices examples of urban sanitation systems in low- and middle-income countries? If yes, this course is for you! This course provides you with an introduction to integrated sanitation planning, both on a citywide scale and for specific contexts such as informal settlements.

Jun 15th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Financing Infrastructure in African Cities (Coursera) Coursera
Erasmus University Rotterdam,United Cities and Local Governments of Africa,African Local Government Academy,Institute for Housing and Urban Development

Financing Infrastructure in African Cities (Coursera)

The world is urbanizing fast. In less than a century more than 1 billion people have been urbanized. That translates into the fact that more than half of the world’s population is already living in cities. Experts forecast that very soon Africa will become one of the most urbanized continents. However, almost 70% of world’s urban population is living in the cities where governments are struggling to provide basic services like sanitation, schools, hospitals, and adequate clean water.

Jun 15th 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.

Dec 6th 2021
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
Cities are back in town : sociología urbana para un mundo globalizado (Coursera) Coursera
Sciences Po

Cities are back in town : sociología urbana para un mundo globalizado (Coursera)

Los procesos de globalización y europeización respaldan el rápido desarrollo de las ciudades en distintas partes del mundo. En el mundo contemporáneo, el proceso de urbanización está alcanzando un nuevo pico con el incremento de las megalópolis (más de 15 millones de habitantes) como Calcuta, Los Ángeles, Daca, El Cairo, Tokio, Nueva York, Shanghái, Ciudad de México. o Seúl. Más allá de las metrópolis modernas, los investigadores intentan entender estas grandes zonas urbanas con el uso de distintos conceptos, tales como "posmetrópolis", "ciudades globales" y "ciudades-regiones globales".

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Cities, Climate and Change: Pathways and Opportunities (Coursera) Coursera
Lund University

Cities, Climate and Change: Pathways and Opportunities (Coursera)

How can we develop transformative skills and capacities to achieve climate neutral and sustainable cities? This course explores how we can design, create and achieve climate neutral and sustainable cities. We embrace the “mission to the moon” approach for tackling greenhouse emissions from cities putting an emphasis on pathways and opportunities. We utilise insights and inspiration from Sweden, Europe and around the world.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Villes africaines I: Introduction à la planification urbaine (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Villes africaines I: Introduction à la planification urbaine (Coursera)

Le cours permet d'apprendre les bases de la planification urbaine à travers ses dimensions techniques, environnementales, sociales, économiques et symboliques. Le cours parle uniquement des villes africaines et même si celles-ci ont valeurs d'exemple pour les ville du Sud, voire toutes les villes, nous nous efforçons à remettre les problématiques dans un contexte africain.

Jun 15th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Cities are back in town : urban sociology for a globalizing urban world (Coursera) Coursera
Sciences Po

Cities are back in town : urban sociology for a globalizing urban world (Coursera)

Urbanization is reaching a new peak in the contemporary world with the rise of mega cities. Researchers try to make sense of these large urban areas using a variety of concepts. The class will review debates and present social science models of cities to analyse and compare contemporary developments. The class will review debates and present social science models of cities and metropolis to analyse and compare contemporary developments.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 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 ».

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks