Climate change, rapid urbanisation, and densification are intensifying the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and increasing flood risks in cities. Rising temperatures reduce productivity, degrade public health, increase energy consumption, and worsen socioeconomic inequalities. Similarly, extreme rainfall events overwhelm conventional drainage, leading to flash floods, waterlogging, and infrastructure disruption. The Sponge City approach integrates nature-based solutions (NbS), permeable surfaces, green–blue infrastructure, wetlands restoration, rainwater harvesting, and stormwater management to improve urban resilience. This domain trains professionals to evaluate UHI dynamics, design mitigation strategies (cool roofs, reflective surfaces, green corridors), assess blue–green systems, and deploy climate-adaptive infrastructure at building, neighbourhood, and city scale. Learners will develop competencies in heat mapping (GIS/RS), thermal comfort design, hydrology modelling, integrated land–water planning, and resilient engineering.
- One-Week Certificate Courses
| Course Title | Duration | Mode | Key Learning Outcomes | Skills Gained | Assessment | Suggested Fee (INR/USD) | Relevance |
| UHI Fundamentals & City Heat Dynamics | 1 Week | Online | UHI drivers, metrics | Heat profiling | MCQ | ₹2,000 / $25 | Urban Planning |
| Green–Blue Infrastructure Basics | 1 Week | Online | GBI concepts; NbS | Mapping | MCQ + Short Task | ₹2,000 / $25 | Resilience |
| Cool Roofs, Cool Pavements & Albedo Design | 1 Week | Online | Surface cooling methods | Material selection | Assignment | ₹2,000 / $25 | Infra |
| Urban Heat Health Impacts & Equity | 1 Week | Online | Heat stress; vulnerable groups | Health-risk mapping | MCQ | ₹2,000 / $25 | Social |
| Intro to Sponge City Principles | 1 Week | Online | Permeability; water capture | Design basics | Task | ₹2,000 / $25 | Infra |
- Two-Week Certificate Courses
| Course Title | Duration | Mode | Key Outcomes | Skills | Assessment | Fee (INR/USD) | Relevance |
| Urban Heat Mapping & Thermal Analytics (GIS/RS) | 2 Weeks | Online | Remote sensing; modelling | Thermal GIS | Project | ₹3,500 / $40 | Urban |
| Heat Action Plans & Early Warning Systems | 2 Weeks | Online | HAP structure; alerts | Emergency planning | Case | ₹3,500 / $40 | Gov/Health |
| Sponge City Modelling & Design | 2 Weeks | Online | Hydrology basics; design | Modelling + 2D | Project | ₹3,500 / $40 | Infra |
| Green Corridors & Eco-Urban Landscapes | 2 Weeks | Online | Urban ecology | Landscape planning | Assignment | ₹3,500 / $40 | Env/Urban |
| Urban Water Management & Stormwater Design | 2 Weeks | Online | Drainage; flood control | Hydrology tools | Case Study | ₹3,500 / $40 | Infra |
- One-Month Certificate Courses
| Course Title | Duration | Mode | Key Outcomes | Skills | Assessment | Fee (INR/USD) | Relevance |
| Advanced UHI Mitigation Strategies | 1 Month | Online | Multi-sectoral UHI design | Thermal design | Capstone | ₹6,000 / $70 | Urban |
| Integrated Sponge City Planning & NbS | 1 Month | Online | Green–blue city design | NbS planning | Project | ₹6,000 / $70 | Infra |
| Climate-Resilient Urban Infrastructure | 1 Month | Online | Resilience mapping | Risk analysis | Assignment | ₹6,000 / $70 | Urban |
| Data Analytics for Heat & Water Systems | 1 Month | Online | Heat + flood modelling | Data analytics | Capstone | ₹6,000 / $70 | Infra |
| Urban Policy & Governance for Climate Adaptation | 1 Month | Online | Institutional frameworks | Policy tools | Case Study | ₹6,000 / $70 | Gov |
- Three-Month Certificate Courses
| Course Title | Duration | Mode | Key Outcomes | Skills | Assessment | Fee (INR/USD) | Relevance |
| Urban Heat Mitigation Planning & Design | 3 Months | Online | Masterplans; retrofit | Planning + design | Capstone | ₹12,000 / $140 | Urban |
| Sponge City Engineering & Hydrological Modelling | 3 Months | Online | Hydrological simulation | Modelling + GBI design | Capstone | ₹12,000 / $140 | Infra |
| Nature-Based Urban Infrastructure Systems | 3 Months | Online | NbS + GBI case studies | Ecosystem design | Project | ₹12,000 / $140 | Infra |
| Smart Urban Climate Monitoring (IoT–RS–GIS) | 3 Months | Online | Sensor + RS integration | Data fusion | Project | ₹12,000 / $140 | Digital Infra |
| Urban Cooling Master Planning & Public Health | 3 Months | Online | Multi-sector heat planning | HAP framework | Dissertation | ₹12,000 / $140 | Health/Gov |
- Six-Month Diploma Courses
| Course Title | Duration | Mode | Key Outcomes | Skills | Assessment | Fee (INR/USD) | Relevance |
| Diploma in Climate-Smart Urban Cooling & Heat Resilience | 6 Months | Online | UHI analysis; adaptation | Planning + modelling | Thesis + Capstone | ₹25,000 / $300 | Urban |
| Diploma in Sponge City & Water-Resilient Urban Design | 6 Months | Online | Full sponge planning | Hydrology; design | Project + Dissertation | ₹25,000 / $300 | Infra |
| Diploma in Green–Blue Infrastructure for Resilient Cities | 6 Months | Online | Blue–green urban systems | Integrated design | Thesis | ₹25,000 / $300 | Env/Urban |
| Diploma in Smart Climate Infrastructure Systems | 6 Months | Online | Sensor-based monitoring | IoT + GIS | Capstone + Exam | ₹25,000 / $300 | Tech/Infra |
| Diploma in Urban Adaptation & Public Health Strategy | 6 Months | Online | Heat governance; HAPs | Public health risk | Dissertation | ₹25,000 / $300 | Gov/Health |
Common Features Across All Courses
- Self-paced modules
- Ideal for: graduates, policymakers, researchers, planners, professionals, NGOs, and development practitioners
- Mixed qualitative + quantitative learning
- Capstone projects for advanced levels
- STRATI certification pathway