programme curriculum Book this course

• OVERVIEW

  SuperCities are becoming the nodes of innovation and creativity of our planet, from a small rural village, through middle cities and metropolitan areas of different sizes, to the most complex urban megaregions that we can imagine. Each city and each territory can design an intelligent project for the future and develop actions to be relevant in this new global scenario of competition and cooperation, of sustainability challenges, of commitments of social integration and overcoming poverty. A new generation of SuperCities is seen as the answer to the great challenges humanity is facing.

  We are living an unprecedented "digital revolution" at the confluence of 4 megatrends that are cloud computing, mobile devices, social networks and intelligence applied to "Big Data". We have never had more computing capacity or easier access to information, or better physical and digital communication options and this is changing the way people live, work, have fun, learn and relate. Politics, the economy, society, and of course cities are also changing, which today enjoy opportunities that previously didn’t exist.

• First Year
  With this Supercities programme, we’ll be preparing a new generation of leaders who aspire to transform the world through cities. Leaders who can be integrated into innovation projects promoted by cutting-edge technology companies in the field of cities, or develop as entrepreneurs in a disruptive environment in which they will create their own startup through a multidisciplinary collaboration. The training and experience acquired by the students of the Supercities programme will also allow them to collaborate with development banks, multinational organisations and urban agencies working in the field of design and construction of the cities of the future.
  • Future Cities

    Intelligent Territories: FutureCities Megatrends

    Within this module we’ll investigate new ways of inhabiting the territory in the 21st century and the singularities of cities in a globalized world. The challenges of informal urbanism in large cities and the role of technology in facing the problems derived from the integration of fragmented cities will be presented. In the central part of this module we’ll be discovering the keys to the design the smart cities of the future, its components of excellence, critical strategic projects, the emergence of the ecosystems innovation, and lastly, cities with a project and vision and city projects. Creative leadership and participatory processes facilitate governance in cities and the opportunities to create viable future projects in context of the participatory democracy.
    elective
    4 credits
  • Future Cities

    CityRegions and Territorial Diamonds

    Formidable development of transport systems and digital revolution has generated a dispersion of human activities in the territory; therefore it is necessary to face the design of the cities of the future at the territorial scale. The new scale of the territory will be addressed, especially the regional scale of the cities. Territories with functional and ecological coherence beyond the municipal administrative divisions. We'll be studying the phenomena of metropolitanization and diffuse urbanization. The response of the polycentric structures of medium-sized cities in Europe. We’ll also be analyzing the new designs of megacities and the response of the so-called territorial diamonds that emerge in certain regions of the world.
    elective
    4 credits
  • Future Cities

    Streetware: Reinventing the Centre of Cities

    The design of pubic space as the engine of transformation of the center of the cities. The enhancement of the urban heritage in Europe. The Down return in America. The architecture of the city, new architectures in the historical areas. The Guggengeim effect of Bilbao, the experience of the New York High Line. E-commerce and the necessary reinvention of commercial space within the center of cities, the Orchard Road initiatives in Singapore. Streetware methodologies for the integration of the tangible and the intangible in the reinvention of the center of cities.
    elective
    4 credits
  • Future Cities

    Digital City and Ecosystems of Innovation

    So far, housing, the factory, the office, the university and the leisure spaces, had clearly defined borders. Today, digital revolution is transforming the spaces, flows and nodes of the territory, fostering more flexible social structures, more connected and interactive. Digital technology is stimulating networking and also boosting the emergence of innovative environments. Also technology and artificial intelligence are having great impact on the reconfiguration of productive models, in service activities and in the forms of consumption. All of these phenomena are changing our cities. In this context we’ll be studying topics such as: The Knowledge Society, The Territories of the New Economy, Innovation and Territory; Digital districts within the heart of cities, and in general, singular projects from the most innovative cities for the creation of innovation ecosystems such as One North of Singapore.
    4 credits
  • Future Cities

    Smart City Solutions

    Within this Module we’ll explore the role of technology as the driving force for innovation and promotion of the development and improvement of cities. Many of the most important technological companies are paying close attention to the advanced technological solutions for the improvement and efficiency of the urban services. Some big events such as Barcelona Smart City Expo and Asia Smart City Alliance of Yokohama are exponents of this movement. Key components of Smart cities are: Built Environment, Management of Cities, Urban Mobility, Energy, Safty and Security, Environment and Water, ICT Integration using sensors, and particularly Urban Analytics and Cross-domain integration. Collaboration and interaction with technological companies and with key innovative cities, that are leading Smart City Solutions, will be an important component of this module.
    elective
    4 credits
  • Future Cities

    Eco-Urbanism & Urban Landscape

    Climate Change and Urban Resiliency are becoming the key challenges of humanity. Cities can develop a very important contribution in a post carbon era going beyond the international agreements to save the Planet. We can improve the world city by city. This Module deals with the challenge of a new dialogue between man and nature in contemporary cities: Design with Nature, the ecological urbanism of Ian McHard. The experiences of European Green Capitals. New Urbanism in North America. Landscape Urbanism. Ecocities and Ecocommunities. Bioclimatic Architecture. Energy and City design. Compact city versus sprawl. High density and sustainability. Green technologies and green urban solutions for the sustainable city.
    elective
    4 credits
  • Future Cities

    Global Connectivity in Future Cities

    Cities are becoming the new engines of the global economy, unique places of concentration of talent and innovation. The power of cities and its magnetism are very much associated to its connectivity. Physical connectivity: Airports, Ports, Motorways, Railways, High Speed Trains are highly relevant, because they allow the movements of people and goods facilitating the competitiveness of cities in an interconnected global economy. But also, digital connectivity is becoming particularly relevant. Cultural and Economic interactions are also key components for the creation of a new generation or Urban Hubs of global relevance. Urban Diplomacy, Sister Cities Partnership, Strategic Alliances of collaboration are opening opportunities for cities to be better connected and be relevant internationally.
    elective
    4 credits
  • Future Cities

    Intelligent Mobility Solutions in Cities

    This module will be focussed on the study of the internal connectivity and the challenges of local and metropolitan mobility and transportation. In particular, TOD, Transport Oriented Development, the way urban development can improve when integrated with collective transportation systems. This is a very relevant issue of contemporary cities, and a intelligent way to avoiding the traditional urban sprawl and designing more compact cities. Special attention will be payed to soft mobility in contemporary cities, in particular, pedestrian mobility and bicycle mobility. Understanding the interaction between urban design, quality of place and opportunities for sustainable soft transportation. Light Trains, Metro, Tramways, Buses, Taxi services, private mobility, self-driving cars, electromobility, urban logistics, last mile solutions, are opportunities for the creation of a new generation of digital apps for improving mobility in cities.
    elective
    4 credits
  • Capstone Project

    “City Solutions LAB” @Ecobox

    The Capstone project will be considered the most important part of the program. In order to join the Supercities Master each candidate must submit a project that potentializing its professional strengths and aimed at contributing to innovation and improvement of cities throughout technology. The Ecobox, headquarters of the Metropoli Foundation in Madrid, is a privileged environment to inspire innovation processes in the field of cities. Students participating in the “City Solutions” LAB @ Ecobox will receive professional stimulation from the teachers responsible for the different modules of the program. In addition, interactions will be held along the program with city leaders, leaders in the creation of creative companies, leaders within the field of technology, leaders in start-ups, marketing and communication processes, etc.

    An important part of the disruptive methodology of the program will be horizontal learning. This will be applied through interaction and collaboration alliances that will arise between different students when developing their own projects. A constant process of trial and error, formulation and reformulation of premises and objectives of the project, until reaching a relevant result that provides value in the wide field of opportunities that arise in the world of cities.
    8 credits