Berghs Continues Its Commitment to Sustainable Cities – Launches the Urban Designer Program
In the spring of 2023 Berghs School of Communication introduced its new initiative in the field of urban design and planning, launching several new courses such as Innovation Management for Sustainable Urban Development and Place Branding. Now the internationally award-winning school is announcing that it is continuing its expansion into the field and launching the full-time program Urban Designer, starting in August 2024.
Credit: Daniel Rosquist
An Urban Designer combines competencies that understand the complexity and possibilities of urban development with the ability to facilitate collaboration. Competency requirements include focus on the human perspective throughout the problem-solving process, creating an understanding of economic, environmental, and social sustainability, competence in sustainable design, developing strategies and solutions, and knowledge of leading innovation work. The program runs full-time for one and a half years, including a five-month internship.
"We established an advisory board two years ago to create an understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the field. We’re excited to offer students new career opportunities through this innovative program at Berghs," says Marie Alani, Head of Faculty at Berghs.
Following Berghs' successful pedagogy, all courses are led by industry professionals and learning is facilitated through workshops and case studies in each course, applying knowledge directly to projects. Students gain an understanding for the role through presentations with open feedback sessions that provide the opportunity to learn by listening to others. Examples of courses included in the program are Human-Centered Design, Urban Economics and Quality of Life Value, Circular Cities, and Sustainable Urban Design & Planning. The program is designed for students committed to contributing to societal change and who want to work as urban designers, urban developers, business developers, or project managers.
"Our initiative underscores the important work of creating collaboration between disciplines to ensure that societal problems are not solved in silos. Another important parameter is that it is Berghs, a communication school, launching the program because we are convinced that our expertise and long-standing experience in communication contribute to understanding how urban environments can become attractive and create quality of life," says Berghs’ CEO Camilla Wallander.
Facts:
- Applications for all Berghs’ full-time programs open in January 2024.
- Applications are based on an anonymous application task
- The program is approved by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education.
- Eligible for student aid, and the tuition fee can be financed through additional loans from CSN: https://www.csn.se/languages/english/the-right-to-swedish-student-finance/study-in-sweden-as-a-foreign-citizen.html
- The program starts on August 12, 2024.
For more information about the Urban Designer program: https://www.berghs.se/en/program/urban-designer/