Gain key insights into successful electrification

To be sustainable and deal with current climate change, our future cities must become greener. For urban mobility (trips generated within a city) that means clean energy must replace fossil fuels.

This two-week course from EIT Urban Mobility introduces the challenges faced by cities during that energy transition, and their possible solutions.

Electrification of mobility: Learning from the past

Urban mobility doesn’t just involve methods of transport. It also includes city spaces and how well they accommodate the trips people take. On this course, you’ll take a closer look at how town planning can influence how fuel is used.

This knowledge will help you evaluate how effectively clean energy has powered urban mobility in the past, looking at specific examples. You’ll learn about previous successes and failures, and how those lessons can be applied when designing future cities.

Look to the present and future of electrification

After you’ve evaluated what worked and what didn’t work for other cities, you’ll get the chance to consider your own. What solutions can you develop to successfully make the energy transition, ensuring that current and future urban mobility needs are met?

Reviewing your city’s transport requirements and objectives, and how to meet them using clean energy, will give you a great opportunity to practice being an effective urban planner. Importantly, you’ll understand what can realistically be done and what town planning changes need to be made now.

Learn with passionate urban mobility experts

The Urban Mobility initiative at EIT is dedicated to making cities more livable by changing the way people move around them. Whether you’re a concerned citizen or a future urban planner, EIT will show you the possibilities of sustainable cities.

Syllabus

Week 1
Electrification and urban mobility
- What should your city look like by 2030?
  Before 2030, cities must undergo rapid change towards electrification. Even with the ideas, technologies and tools we have today, this is possible. The challenge for city planners is selecting the right solutions.
- The bigger picture: a clear vision for cities
  Cities are a small part of the Earth’s surface, but have a major role when it comes to population, cultures. Challenges and solutions are concentrated there.
- The challenges
  All cities face similar challenges. However, there are different combinations of challenges that can be individual and require adapting the strategy.
Week 2
The energy transition
- Solutions and implementation
  No need to reinvent the “electric wheel”. This section will focus on practical solutions and how to implement them.
- Summary and Outlook
  We already have all the solutions – and very urgently need to roll them out. This concluding section reiterates the tools and key learning points to help you implement the right solutions for your city.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Explain the current and future possibilities that electrification provides and how they can be applied
Identify the characteristics of cities that successfully implemented electrification and the methods they used
Summarise the actions necessary to successfully implement electric-based solutions in your city

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone interested in the health of current and future cities, including urban mobility and transport industry professionals. Whether you’re a member of the public or an urban planner, you’ll find a wealth of information here.

Who will you learn with?

Jens Müller

Jens is passionate about clever solutions that combine a better quality of life with climate protection. He is a trained economist and previously worked for 8 years in the European Parliament.

Who developed the course?

EIT Urban Mobility

EIT Urban Mobility is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Since January 2019 we have been working to encourage positive changes in the way people move around cities in order to make them more liveable places. We aim to become the largest European initiative transforming urban mobility. Co-funding of up to € 400 million (2020-2026) from the EIT, a body of the European Union, will help make this happen.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn