Training on Climate-Smart Urban Planning

Cities are expanding rapidly, increasing exposure to climate risks such as flooding, heatwaves, water shortages, and infrastructure strain. Poorly planned urban growth often places communities in vulnerable locations, raises pollution levels, and locks cities into inefficient and costly development patterns. As climate change intensifies, traditional planning approaches are no longer sufficient.

Climate-smart urban planning integrates resilience and sustainability into land use, infrastructure, housing, transport, and resource management. It promotes compact development, green infrastructure, low-carbon mobility, climate-adaptive building design, and nature-based solutions to reduce emissions and enhance urban liveability.

This course equips participants with practical tools to embed climate resilience into urban planning systems. Participants will learn how to conduct climate risk assessments, design resilient urban layouts, integrate green and blue infrastructure, align policies with climate goals, and monitor long-term sustainability outcomes. Through planning simulations, case studies, and hands-on exercises, learners gain actionable skills to shape cities that are adaptive, inclusive, and future-ready.

Duration

 5 Days

Who Should Attend

• Urban planners and municipal officials
• Environmental and climate change professionals
• Infrastructure and housing agencies
• NGOs working on urban development
• Private sector developers and consultants
• Policy makers involved in city planning

Individual Impact

• Build skills in climate-resilient planning
• Improve risk assessment capabilities
• Strengthen sustainable design approaches
• Enhance policy and planning decision making
• Gain confidence in managing urban climate challenges

Organizational Impact

• Improve city resilience to climate risks
• Reduce long-term infrastructure costs
• Enhance environmental sustainability
• Support inclusive and livable urban development
• Strengthen climate adaptation strategies

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand climate risks affecting urban areas
• Apply climate-smart planning principles
• Design resilient urban development plans
• Integrate green and low-carbon solutions
• Develop policies supporting sustainable cities

Module 1: Introduction to Climate-Smart Urban Planning

• Urbanization and climate challenges
• Principles of climate-smart planning
• Climate risks in cities
• Sustainable urban development frameworks
• Practical Exercise: Identify climate risks in an urban area

Module 2: Climate Risk Assessment and Urban Resilience

• Assessing flood, heat, and infrastructure risks
• Vulnerability mapping
• Resilience indicators
• Using data in planning decisions
• Case Study: City climate resilience planning project

Module 3: Integrating Green Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions

• Urban forests and green spaces
• Stormwater management systems
• Cooling strategies for heat reduction
• Ecosystem-based adaptation
• Practical Exercise: Design a green infrastructure plan

Module 4: Low-Carbon Urban Development Strategies

• Sustainable transport planning
• Energy-efficient buildings
• Compact city design
• Renewable energy integration
• Case Study: Low-carbon city development initiative

Module 5: Policy, Governance, and Implementation

• Urban climate policies and regulations
• Stakeholder coordination
• Financing climate-smart projects
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Practical Exercise: Develop a climate-smart urban action plan