MIT Media Lab

Beyond Smart Cities:

Emerging Design
and Technology
online short course
Learn to harness disruptive technology
for sustainable urban solutions.
About this
course
With more than half of the world’s population living in
urban areas, the future needs smarter, safer, and more
sustainable cities that are ultimately more responsive
$ US $3,000
to the needs of their citizens. While smart city solutions
typically focus on digital optimizations to existing urban
infrastructure, this program goes beyond optimizations
to explore the ways in which disruptive technology
can dramatically improve the planning, design, and
6 weeks, excluding
management of contemporary cities for their more
orientation
resilient futures.

With guidance from MIT faculty, you’ll discover how

technologies like data analytics, artificial intelligence
(AI), new urban systems, real-time simulations, and
predictive urban design can be leveraged to realize 7-9 hours/week of self-paced
more entrepreneurial, high-performance, and liveable learning, entirely online
urban communities.

What the program covers

With a focus on innovations such as AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain technology
in the context of urban design, this program will expose you to cutting-edge trends in the built
environment and the conversations surrounding them.

You’ll also have the chance to examine issues surrounding mobility, distributed water and waste
strategies, and the advent of autonomous transport systems, while discussing the relationship
between density, diversity, and proximity in urban communities.

In addition to learning about the architectural design of a city, you’ll explore the social, cultural,
political, and economic forces affecting the built environment, and consider ways of responding
to them. In doing so, you’ll discover how technology can be harnessed as a meaningful solution
to both local and global challenges, and ultimately serve as a means of delivering better quality
of life for urban citizens.
This program
is for you if

You’re looking to go beyond You’re interested in learning You want validation

smart cities by discovering about new and transformative of your knowledge in the
digital solutions that have the technologies such as form of a certificate from
potential to improve urban living AI, IoT, and blockchain the MIT Media Lab.
and solve global challenges. in the context of urban design.

Who should take this course? technology, or data. If you’re an entrepreneur,

business leader, or an investor looking for new
This program is designed for anyone interested
business opportunities in sustainability, mobility,
in the design and planning of cities, and seeking
urban design, or innovation, then this program
ways to transform urban areas for a more
will be relevant to you. City department heads,
sustainable and vibrant future. With a focus on
government innovation officers, and other
technology and data, the program is particularly
government leaders interested in the potential of
relevant to those who are interested in designing,
new technologies to improve the quality of life in
investing in, and delivering smart city solutions.1
cities would also benefit from taking this course.

This program is relevant to engineers, designers, 1

While you will be expected to work in programs such as Microsoft
Excel, no programming or technical knowledge is required for the
architects, and urban planners focused on
completion of this program.
the environment, energy, IT infrastructure,
What
you’ll learn
This online program integrates rich, interactive You’ll be required to complete your participant
media such as videos, infographics, and profile, confirm your certificate delivery address,
e-learning activities as well as traditional and submit a digital copy of your passport/identity
didactic components such as written document.
study guides (course notes). There are also
opportunities for collaborative learning through Module 1
discussion forums. The following modules Design and technology for
contribute to the holistic approach your people-centric cities
learning path takes: Learn to leverage technology to make the city
of the future work like a small village of the past.
Orientation module
Welcome to your Online Campus Module 2
one week The mobility revolution and urban
You’ll be welcomed with a personal call and get robotics
introduced to your online teaching and technical Use data to understand the most efficient
support network. Begin connecting with fellow and sustainable ways for people to move
participants while exploring the navigation and around a city.
tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key
milestones in the learning path, and review how
your results will be calculated and distributed.

Cities are home to more than 50% of the

world’s population, with another 2.5 billion
new urban residents expected by 2050.*
*McKinsey, 2018
Module 3 Module 5
The live-work transformation: robotics, Sustainable communities: Local
prefabrication and IOT technology production and lower consumption
Explore technological innovation such as Explore interventions and distributed systems
architectural robotics, AI, and new materials that encourage communities to consume fewer
for urban living that will transform the way resources and produce locally.
people live and work.

Module 6
Module 4
Governance: Token economies
A network of neighborhoods: and alorithmic zoning for
AI, real-time simulation, prosocial behaviors
and emerging systems Explore future speculations on how new
Discover how density, proximity, and diversity, governance models, behaviors, and emerging
together with a focus on connected communities, technologies will facilitate healthier urban
can create high-performance cities. communities

Highly successful cities in the future will likely

consist of a network of compact urban districts
where resources and amenities of daily life
are in close proximity, allowing people to live,
work, play, and exchange ideas in walkable,
vibrant communities.
KENT LARSON
DIRECTOR, CITY SCIENCE GROUP,
MIT MEDIA LAB
Who you’ll
learn from
The design of this MIT online course is guided by faculty and industry experts from the MIT Media Lab
who will share their experience and in-depth subject knowledge with you throughout the course.

Faculty Director
Kent Larson Larson and researchers from his group received
Director, City Science Group, the “10-Year Impact Award” from UbiComp 2014.
MIT Media Lab This is a “test of time” award for work that, with
the benefit of hindsight, has had the greatest
Kent Larson directs the City Science (formerly impact over the previous decade.
Changing Places) research group at the MIT Media Lab.
Larson practiced architecture for 15 years in
His research focuses on developing urban interventions
New York City, with design work published in
that enable more entrepreneurial, liveable,
Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture,
high-performance districts in cities. To that end,
Global Architecture, The New York Times, A+U,
his projects include advanced simulation and
and Architectural Digest. The New York Times
augmented reality for urban design, transformable
Review of Books selected his book, Louis I. Kahn:
micro-housing for millennials, mobility-on-demand
Unbuilt Masterworks (2000) as one of that year’s
systems that create alternatives to private automobiles,
10 best books in architecture.
and Urban Living Lab deployments in Hamburg,
Andorra, Taipei, and Boston.

Head Learning Facilitator

Your A subject expert from GetSmarter and

approved by the university who’ll guide you

Success
through content-related challenges.

Success Manager

Team
Your one-on-one support at GetSmarter
available during University hours (9am - 5pm
EST) to resolve technical and administrative
challenges.

Global Success Team

Receive a personalized approach to
This team from GetSmarter is available
online education that ensures you’re
24/7 to solve your tech-related and
supported by GetSmarter throughout
administrative queries and concerns
your learning journey.
A powerful
collaboration
The MIT Media Lab is collaborating with online education provider GetSmarter to create a new class of
learning experience — one that is higher-touch, intimate, and personalized for the working professional.

What is the MIT Media Lab?

The MIT Media Lab is an antidisciplinary research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
growing out of MIT’s Architecture Machine Group in the School of Architecture and Planning. Media Lab
research isn’t restricted to fixed academic disciplines, taking advantage of a unique culture that emboldens
unconventional mixing and matching of seemingly disparate research areas — including but not limited to
technology, media, science, art, and design.

What is GetSmarter?
GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, Inc., is a digital education company that partners with the world’s leading
universities to select, design and deliver premium online short courses with a data-driven focus on
learning gain.

Technology meets academic rigor in our people-mediated model which enables lifelong learners across
the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic
institutions.

MIT Media Lab Certificate

Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order
to be issued with an MIT Media Lab Certificate you will need to meet the requirements outlined in the
course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.

Your certificate will be issued in your legal name and couriered to you at no additional cost. All
certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of
the MIT Media Lab.
How
you’ll learn
The program is broken down into manageable, content in the form of a downloadable PDF
weekly modules, designed to accelerate your transcript if you’d prefer not to use Flash.
learning process through diverse learning activities:
Browser requirements
•W
 ork through your downloadable and online We recommend that you use Google Chrome
instructional material
as your internet browser when accessing the
• Interact with your peers and learning Online Campus. Although this is not a requirement,
facilitators through weekly class-wide
we have found that this browser performs best
forums and small group discussions for ease of access to course material.
•E
 njoy a wide range of interactive content, This browser can be downloaded here.
including video lectures, infographics,
live polls, and more Additional requirements
• Investigate rich, real-world case studies Certain courses may require additional software
•A
 pply what you learn each week to quizzes and resources. These additional software and
and ongoing project submissions, resource requirements will be communicated
culminating in an understanding to you upon registration and/or at the beginning
of how disruptive technology can bring
of the course. Please note that Google, Vimeo,
dramatic improvements to urban living
and YouTube may be used in our course delivery,
and sustainability.
and if these services are blocked in your jurisdiction,
you may have difficulty in accessing course content.
Each module is released weekly, allowing a flexible
Please check with a Course Consultant before
but structured approach to learning. You’ll be
registering for this course if you have any concerns
supported as you engage in individual activities
about this affecting your experience with the
and group discussions, ensuring you feel confident
Online Campus.
to submit your best work at each weekly deadline.

Technical requirements
Basic requirements
In order to complete a course, you’ll need a current
email account and access to a computer, the
Find out more about the
internet, and Microsoft Excel. You should be familiar
MIT MEDIA LAB
with using a computer and accessing the internet,
as you may need to read documents in Adobe PDF TELL ME MORE

Reader, view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations,

and read and create documents in Microsoft Word.
Installing Adobe Flash Player will give you full
access to certain course content, such as interactive
infographics. However, you’ll still have access to this
 MIT Media Lab

Beyond Smart Cities:

Emerging Design
and Technology
online short course
Reimagine resilient urban
areas of the future.

REGISTER NOW

Contact us
US: +1 617 997 4979 | GLOBAL: +1 617 977 6889
EMAIL: [email protected]