Climate and the City Summer School

• Understand: Gain in-depth knowledge of urban climate adaptation – on approaches, solutions, scaling – from top experts in the field of environmental engineering, economics, urban design/planning, health and social/behavioural sciences.‍
• Expand your network: Get valuable insights from startups and industry leaders.‍
• Teamwork: work in interdisciplinary student teams, since this course is designed for students from diverse backgrounds, including business, architecture, engineering, communication, health and environmental sciences.‍
• Apply: learn creative ideation and entrepreneurial skills to develop innovative ideas for new products and services.‍
• Pitch to experts: Present your innovative idea to an expert audience and receive practical feedback from them.
• … and maybe discover a potential topic for your bachelor’s or master’s thesis?

2024 was the warmest year on record 🌍🔥! Adapting to the effects of climate change is therefore becoming urgently important – especially in cities. Hot summer days pose a particular problem in densely populated urban areas, thus innovative solutions for urban climate adaptation are needed.

In this hands-on summer school, you will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to develop real-world solutions and business ideas for more resilient and livable urban spaces. From small scale adaptation measures such as green facades and water management to social innovations, you will explore practical interventions that make a difference – leveraging an inter-and transdisciplinary approach to drive innovation.

Take action on climate change, build your skills, and expand your network. Apply now and be part of the solution!

Organisation and team: The Summer School is led by the School of Management and Law (Dr. Nina Boogen) in collaboration with the School of Life Sciences and Facility Management (Doris Tausendpfund and Dr. Stephan Brenneisen) and School of Applied Linguistics (Nadine Klopfenstein Frei).

The Summer School is open for BSc, MSc and PhD students from all departments and disciplines at ZHAW, the EELISA Partner universities and other institutions of higher education.

The number of participants is limited to 24. All applications will be evaluated after the application deadline. You will be informed by calendar week 20 whether you can take part in the Summer School. After the acceptance to the Summer School, students will receive course materials and further information.

Important: Please check with your study program lead if the Summer School of 3 ECTS can be credited.

All attendees are required to dedicate their full attention to the program for its duration. Please make sure to pause other obligations to ensure a fully engaging experience.

Documents required for the application

• CV in English, including English level and BSc GPA and
• A motivation letter in the form of an email

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