Digital Urban Studies: Sustainable Urban Development

Discover more at the program's website!

*The Master's program is designed for applicants with different training backgrounds such as architects, city planners, economists, sociologists, geographers, ecologists, IT specialists and engineers, managers of state and municipal government, etc. We expect students with excellent and good grades in the Bachelor's diploma. Upper-intermediate level of English proved by a certificate; CV and motivation letter is required.

Program description

The specific outcome of the Master’s program is a combination of competencies in the field of system analysis and digital data analytics in urban studies, smart and sustainable cities management. It gives graduates the opportunity to build their professional career in the fields of urban digitalization, project design and management of smart and sustainable cities at the federal, regional, and local levels.

The program welcomes applicants with various education backgrounds as architects, economists, sociologists, geographers, ecologists, IT specialists and engineers, managers of state and municipal government, etc., interested in modern approaches and technologies for transforming the urban environment, implementing strategies for sustainable and smart urban development based also on social studies and public participation strategies.

The acquired competencies and knowledge will allow graduates to become competitive in sustainable urban planning and design and find jobs at architectural bureaus, design organizations, consulting agencies, municipalities that follow the modern agenda in urban design.

As part of Master's program specialization in Sustainable Urban Development, students will gain new knowledge, understanding and competencies in such areas as concept of sustainable development, UN SDGs and indicators, ESG transformation; sustainable development strategies and management in cities and regions; will gain understanding of how the problems of climate change affect cities and influence the health of the citizens, how they affect the processes of urban planning and urban design. Students will be introduced to ecological (green) and the circular economy, will learn the principles of urban green and blue framework design and maintenance of ecosystem services in cities, along with sustainable mobility principles. Particular attention will be paid to the psychological aspects of the human-cities-environment interactions of citizens of different ages, various social groups, citizens with special needs for an inclusive urban environment, basics of pro-environmental behavior, and public participation. Starting from the first semester students will be involved in research and practice activities and will strengthen their skills in urban research methodologies.

Partners

• International Centre for Social and Economic Research “Leontief Centre”
• International Architectural Bureau MLA+
• Russian Green Building Council
• Agency for Strategic Initiatives
• State Unitary Enterprise "Vodokanal of St. Petersburg"
• Scientific Research Institute and Project Development Center of General Plan of Saint Petersburg
• Government of Saint Petersburg. Committee for City Planning and Architecture
• Government of Saint Petersburg. Committee for nature exploitation, nature protection and ecological safety
• Lomonosov Moscow State University
• Samara University
• The M.L. Petrovich Laboratory of Urban Planning

Career prospects

Graduates of the specialization Sustainable Urban Development can find the following job positions: sustainability or ESG managers, heads of sustainability or ESG departments at companies or municipalities, sustainable urban planners at the department of architecture, private companies or municipalities.

Our graduates work at: 

• International Centre for Social and Economic Research “Leontief Centre”
• International Architectural Bureau MLA+
• Scientific Research Institute and Project Development Center of General Plan of Saint Petersburg
• Government of Saint Petersburg. Committee for City Planning and Architecture
• Government of Saint Petersburg. Committee for nature exploitation, nature protection and ecological safety
• The M.L. Petrovich Laboratory of Urban Planning
• Municipality of Kazan 
• Municipality of Almetyevsk
• Municipality of Yakutsk
• Center of Inclusive Education, ITMO University
• Institute of Design & Urban Studies, ITMO University

List of entrance exam questions

FAQ

Contacts

• Program supervisor: Irina Shmeleva, PhD, associate professor, head of the Sustainable Cities Lab, i_a_shmeleva@itmo.ru, Telegram: @ireneshmel

• Program coordinator: Oksana Soldatova, ovsoldatova@itmo.ru

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