Total study time: 24 hours
How can you transform a city simply by learning from it? In this one-on-one course, you’ll explore how to turn an ordinary neighborhood into a living lab—a space where data, people, and ideas come together to tackle real urban challenges. With personal guidance, interactive online modules, and hands-on assignments, you’ll learn to use geospatial tools and data to design smart, practical solutions that make an impact.
The city isn’t just the setting for your learning—it is your learning environment. In City as a Living Lab, you’ll use the urban landscape as an active field for exploration, analysis, and innovation.
At the heart of this approach is the city lab: a collaborative platform where residents, researchers, and entrepreneurs co-create solutions to pressing urban issues—such as sustainability, livability, and social inclusion. In these labs, the city itself becomes the testing ground, where new ideas are developed and applied right within local neighborhoods.
This method connects theory directly to reality. You’ll learn to view urban challenges from multiple angles, supported by geospatial data and insight. As a result, you’ll develop meaningful solutions grounded in the actual needs of the city.
Moreover, working in a setting where disciplines intersect helps you experience what it truly means to learn with and from the city. Your learning process becomes just as dynamic as the city itself.
In this blended learning course, you’ll dive into real urban issues and learn to analyze and address them using geo-information, open data, and interdisciplinary knowledge. First, you’ll get a clear introduction to what a city lab is, how to set one up, and which people, tools, and resources are essential to make it work.
You’ll also explore how collaboration between citizens, policymakers, and researchers plays out in real-world projects. Along the way, you’ll identify common obstacles and learn how to measure and communicate the impact of your lab.
Through three practical lenses, you’ll examine what makes a city lab effective, how to collaborate in complex urban environments, and how to evaluate what works—and what doesn’t.
Throughout the course, you’ll build the skills needed to approach urban issues from different perspectives. You’ll learn to read and interpret data, spot patterns, connect ideas, and translate concepts into action. By working on real cases, you’ll see how the city becomes a living space for testing, improving, and rethinking solutions.
So, you won’t just learn about the city—you’ll learn with it. And that makes your learning experience powerful, relevant, and ready for the real world.
Blended learning gives you the best of both worlds—live interaction and flexible, self-paced study—so you can build job-ready skills in urban innovation and geospatial analysis. In this course, you’ll work with real data, participatory tools, and spatial methods to tackle real-world city challenges.
We start with a live session, where you’ll explore the concept of a living lab in action. With support from experienced instructors, you’ll look at real-life examples and learn how city labs bring communities, experts, and decision-makers together to co-create change. You’ll even begin designing your own lab, tailored to local needs.
Next, our self-paced modules let you dive deeper at your own rhythm. You’ll explore essential topics such as urban systems, collaborative planning, and the role of data in solving complex problems. You’ll also learn how to gather and analyze geospatial data, turning raw information into insights you can act on.
Then, in a second live session, you’ll apply your knowledge in a real-world scenario. You’ll work with neighborhood data, identify key issues, sketch out a city lab approach, and get expert feedback to fine-tune your ideas.
What makes this course stand out is its focus on real application. You’ll complete assignments that reflect daily challenges faced by professionals in urban planning, research, and community engagement. These aren’t just practice exercises—they’re outputs you can bring into your own work.
By combining expert instruction with real-world learning, this course equips you with more than just knowledge. You’ll be ready to launch and lead a city lab, collaborate across sectors, and use data to drive meaningful, lasting change—right where it matters most: in the city.
After completing this course, you’ll be able to:
Do you have questions about the course content? Not sure if the course aligns with your learning objectives? Or would you prefer a private session or in-company training? We’re happy to assist—feel free to get in touch.
We aim to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. If the course fee is a concern, instead of registering directly, you can indicate on the registration form that you’d like to receive a quote tailored to your needs. In many cases, we can offer flexible solutions. For instance, we can adjust the course content for large groups, shorten the course based on existing knowledge, or offer daily rates to suit your requirements.
Yes, you can reach out to the instructor with questions for up to 2 weeks after the course. Since the instructor is likely teaching other courses, we recommend emailing your questions to info@geo-ict.com. We’ll forward your inquiry to the instructor, and you’ll receive a response within 24 hours. After the 2-week period, we recommend using our Personalized Online Support for continued assistance.
Yes, we offer on-site training regularly throughout the Netherlands. Our instructor will bring laptops for the participants, and all you need to do is arrange a suitable room at your location.
Please send your requirements to info@geo-ict.com, and we will provide a customized quote, which will include travel and accommodation costs. Once the quote is confirmed, our course coordinator will reach out to schedule the training days.
After each course, participants receive a link to our evaluation portal where you can share your feedback on what you liked and didn’t like. We strive to provide a great experience for all our participants, but if you have a complaint, please click on ‘Complaints Procedure’ in the portal. This document will guide you through the steps to take. Geo-ICT Training Center, Netherlands, is a member of the Dutch Council for Training and Education (NRTO), ensuring a fair and transparent process.
Courses are typically scheduled according to the Dutch time zone, with sessions running from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. For participants in different time zones, we adjust the course times in consultation with you.