Fundamentals of Climate-Neutral Cities
Dates & timetable:
| Date | Time |
| Applications open – 01.01.2026 Applications close – 25.01.2026 Course begins – 02.02.2026 |
Description:
Content:
Topic 1: Urban climate science and GHG accounting
• Climate-neutrality in the IPCC 1.5 °C pathway.
• Urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emission scopes (1–3) and sectors.
• Approaches to city-wide GHG inventories and baselines.
• Emission trajectories, carbon budgets and marginal abatement potential.
Topic 2: Energy-efficient buildings in climate-neutral cities
• EU building decarbonisation agenda (EPBD recast, Renovation Wave).
• Deep renovation strategies and building stock transformation.
• Building electrification and integration of renewables.
• Indicators for operational and embodied emissions in the built environment.
• Level(s) Methodology
Topic 3: Sustainable urban mobility
• SUMP 2.0 concepts and the role of mobility in city GHG inventories.
• Active-travel infrastructure (walking, cycling) and street reallocation.
• Public transport, shared mobility and demand management.
• Zero-emission logistics in dense urban areas.
Topic 4: Urban adaptation, resilience and green spaces
• Climate risks in cities: heat, flooding, air quality and compounding hazards.
• Nature-based solutions, blue–green corridors and urban cooling.
• Urban comfort metrics and heat-risk early warning systems.
• Linking mitigation and adaptation in a Climate-Neutrality Action Plan.
MC Summary:
This micro-credential introduces the fundamentals of climate-neutral cities by translating climate science and EU policy into a structured Climate-Neutrality Action Plan for a hypothetical city. Participants learn how to frame a city-wide GHG inventory, identify levers for clean buildings and sustainable mobility, and design adaptation and resilience measures that integrate nature-based solutions and green public spaces. By the end of the course, learners understand how to connect emissions quantification, risk mitigation and urban resilience in a coherent roadmap to climate-neutrality.
Learning outcomes:
- Students will be able to explain the concept of climate-neutral cities in the context of IPCC 1.5 °C pathways and EU climate policy, and describe the main urban emission sectors.
- Students will be able to interpret and discuss a simplified city-wide GHG inventory and identify priority mitigation levers in buildings and mobility.
- Students will be able to outline key deep-retrofit, electrification and sustainable mobility measures suitable for inclusion in a Climate-Neutrality Action Plan.
- Students will be able to propose basic adaptation and resilience options using nature-based solutions, blue–green infrastructure and heat-risk management tools for an example city district.
Volume (ECTS):
5 ECTS
Language:
English
Transversal Skills:
- Analytical and critical thinking through interpreting GHG data and prioritising interventions.
- Systems thinking by connecting buildings, mobility, public space and resilience in an integrated plan.
- Collaboration and teamwork in designing a joint roadmap for a hypothetical city.
- Communication skills through concise presentation of a climate-neutrality strategy to peers.
Competencies:
- Valuing sustainability and long-term climate neutrality.
- Understanding and promoting climate-resilient urban development.
- Problem framing at city scale and identification of realistic intervention packages.
Study format
online (fully deliverable online; synchronous sessions and guided asynchronous activities).
Study methods:
Group project, self-assessment, presentation
Entry requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in engineering or architecture; English level B2.
Assessment:
Type of assessment:
- Group project (mini Climate-Neutrality Action Plan for a hypothetical city).
- Short online quiz (individual).
- Individual reflective note on one selected intervention area (buildings, mobility or adaptation).
Formative assessment is planned (feedback during group work and after interim quiz).
How is the assessment linked to the learning outcome(s): - The group project requires learners to use the course framework (urban climate science, buildings, mobility, adaptation) to build a coherent Climate-Neutrality Action Plan outline, directly addressing learning outcomes 2, 3 and 4 through applied scenario work.
- The online quiz checks individual understanding of core concepts, terminology and policy instruments, supporting learning outcomes 1 and 2 and providing immediate formative feedback.
- The individual reflective note asks students to critically discuss one intervention area (e.g. building retrofits or active mobility corridors) in the context of the hypothetical city, strengthening learning outcomes 3 and 4 and encouraging transfer to their own professional context.
This combination of group work, individual testing and reflection ensures that learners can both understand and apply the concepts of climate-neutral cities in practice.”
Host university:
Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Romania
