- Course location
- Weimar
- Teaching language
- • English
- Language level of course
- • English: B1, B2, C1, C2
- Date(s)
- •
15 August - 29 August 2026
- Information on dates, prices and mode of study
- The course price includes lunch on course days, a welcome package, excursions and a social programme as well as the farewell and welcome events.
- Target group
- Students (Bachelor's from the sixth semester onward and Master's students) of disciplines related to spatial development like architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, urban and spatial planning, cultural, social, and economic geography, development, and others
Previous knowledge:
• interested to work in a holistic and interdisciplinary way in urban settlements and urban environments
• basics in GIS are desirable (not obligatory) and/or CAD
• good knowledge of the English language
Preparation: As part of their application, participants propose one to three examples (micro scale) from their hometown or the city they are studying, which they relate to the subject of urban heat or heat mitigation and describe those shortly (max. 1-2 A4 pages, image can be included). After being selected as a course participant, you will be asked to further investigate and present your study cases in Weimar.
- Description/content
- Discover the various aspects of the built environment and Urban Heat Islands and learn how to develop more resilient cities!
In this two-week intensive course, you will get a deep insight into the subject of “urban heat” and get the opportunity to develop GIS skills. You will learn about the relation between human-made and natural factors on the built environment, how responsive planning and design strategies can serve for mitigation, and how practical design solutions can be created that respond to urban heat in a spatial, cultural, and social context. During the course, you will also be acquainted with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in order to map heat islands for different case studies, interpret and discuss those data with experts and leverage your own experience of perceiving urban heat into a scientific context.
Acquire an interdisciplinary and transcultural perspective on the urban heat island effect and develop an integrated design approach to reduce urban heat: looking at urban heat in a holistic way, participants will understand urban heat islands from the micro-level to the macro-level; from open space and building-scale to the urban context on the neighbourhood, city and regional scale. The course also introduces impact and vulnerability caused through urban heat, presents preventive or adaptive measures, and shows how their implementation also depends on cultural values and lifestyles. At the end, participants will develop an integrated design proposal that supports climate-sensitive solutions to reduce heat for their selected study case.
Lectures, discussions and two site visits in Weimar will take place in the morning and GIS training in the afternoon. The city of Cairo will serve as a main study case along the course.