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Masters · 1500 h · 11 modules
Master's in Resilient Waterfronts and Urban Seafronts
The Master's in Resilient Waterfronts and Urban Seafronts Prepares you to plan, design and manage urban waterfronts that can live with sea level rise, storms and development pressure. You will study coastal edge engineering, the d
Duration1500 h
FormatOnline
Starts30 November
Places20 / 20
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Programme overview
What is the Master’s in Resilient Waterfronts and Urban Seafronts?
The Master's in Resilient Waterfronts and Urban Seafronts
Prepares you to plan, design and manage urban waterfronts that can live with sea level rise, storms and development pressure. You will study coastal edge engineering, the design of floodable public space, the regeneration of former docks and industrial land, and the governance of complex urban projects, bringing together urban planning, landscape architecture, maritime engineering and climate risk analysis in a single, practical programme.
Key advantages
- Integrated approach: Urban planning, landscape, maritime engineering and climate risk in one programme.
- Designing with water: Public spaces and buildings designed to flood without ceasing to work.
- International cases: Analysis of waterfront transformations in cities around the world.
- Economic insight: Funding, land management and public-private partnerships.
- Your own project: A resilient transformation plan for a real waterfront.
Programme type
Master's Degree
Study mode
Online
Duration
1,500 hours
Modules
11
Programme highlights
- Design resilient edges: Combine coastal engineering and urban design at the water’s edge.
- Anticipate risk: Build sea level rise scenarios into your projects.
- Regenerate the urban port: Transform former dock and industrial areas.
- Create public space: Design floodable promenades, parks and squares.
- Boost your career: Open doors to architecture practices, engineering firms, consultancies and public bodies.
- Train to design the waterfronts that coastal cities will need in the decades ahead.
Curriculum
Programme Structure
The programme is structured in 11 modules, listed below in order of study.
01
The City and the Water
- History of port cities
- How the port-city relationship has evolved
- The waterfront as a space of opportunity
- Urban dynamics on the coast
- Property and tourism pressure
- Ecosystem services of the coastal edge
- Urban climate and the influence of the sea
- Mobility along the waterfront
- Maritime heritage and identity
- Global trends in waterfronts
02
Coastal Dynamics for Urban Designers
- Waves and wave propagation
- Astronomical tides and storm surges
- Sediment transport
- Beach and estuary morphology
- Wave overtopping of structures
- Compound coastal flooding
- River-sea interaction
- Reading coastal climate studies
- Numerical flood models
- Open coastal data
03
Climate Change and Risk at the Urban Edge
- Sea level rise projections
- IPCC scenarios applied to cities
- Hazard, exposure and vulnerability
- Flood risk mapping
- Extreme events and return periods
- Risk to critical infrastructure
- Social vulnerability in coastal neighbourhoods
- Thresholds and adaptation tipping points
- Dynamic adaptation pathways
- Urban resilience indicators
04
Coastal Edge Engineering
- Types of coastal defence
- Walls, dykes and raised promenades
- Revetments and rock armour
- Movable barriers and floodgates
- Designing against overtopping
- Foundations in coastal soils
- Durability in the marine environment
- Urban drainage in low-lying areas
- Maintaining coastal works
- Integrating defences into the city
05
Nature-Based Solutions on Urban Waterfronts
- Principles of nature-based solutions
- Urban saltmarshes and wetlands
- Beaches and dunes as defences
- Reefs and living structures
- Living shorelines in estuaries
- Ecological enhancement of walls and dykes
- Hybrid green-grey systems
- Monitoring ecological performance
- Benefits for urban biodiversity
- Limitations and risks of green solutions
06
Urban Design and Floodable Public Space
- Principles of water-sensitive design
- Floodable parks and squares
- Multifunctional promenades
- Topography and design levels
- Salt-tolerant planting
- Accessibility and safety at the edge
- Resilient street furniture
- Lighting and climatic comfort
- Designing for everyday use and emergencies
- Coastal public space case studies
07
Architecture and Building on the Waterfront
- Flood-resilient buildings
- Adaptable ground floors
- Amphibious and floating architecture
- Materials for the marine environment
- Energy efficiency by the sea
- Refurbishing port buildings
- Mixed uses on the coastal edge
- Building regulations in flood zones
- Designing for evacuation
- Insurance and coastal building
08
Port-City Regeneration
- Converting obsolete docks
- Disused shipyards and industrial land
- Contaminated land in port areas
- Coexistence of port activity and the city
- Cruise tourism and leisure boating
- New cultural and innovation uses
- Blue economy districts
- Managing gentrification
- Phasing and meanwhile uses
- Lessons from major transformations
09
Planning, Governance and Participation
- Legal frameworks for the coast and public foreshore
- Coordination between port, city and state
- Marine and terrestrial spatial planning
- Waterfront planning instruments
- Strategic environmental assessment
- Public participation
- Managing land-use conflicts
- Communicating risk to residents
- Municipal adaptation plans
- Long-term governance
10
Economics, Funding and Project Management
- Land value on the waterfront
- Cost-benefit analysis of adaptation
- Public funding for resilience
- Public-private partnerships
- Land value capture
- Insurance and risk transfer
- Phased delivery planning
- Managing complex urban projects
- Success indicators
- Long-term maintenance and management
11
Master's Final Project: Resilient Waterfront Plan
- Choosing the waterfront
- Urban and port diagnosis
- Coastal dynamics analysis
- Climate risk assessment
- Defining the vision and objectives
- Defence and adaptation strategy
- Urban design proposal
- Phasing and funding plan
- Writing the dissertation
- Defence before a panel
Workload
Study Time and Workload
1500 hours of study, online and at your own pace. Move the slider to the hours a week you can really put in.
Hours a week8
Weeks to finish—
You finish around—
Who it is for
Architects, urban planners and landscape architects: who want to specialise in the urban coastal edge Civil engineers: working on maritime works and coastal defence Local authority and port authority staff: who manage the port-city relationship Climate risk and adaptation consultants: who advise coastal cities Developers and urban project managers: working on waterfront land
Faculty
Academic direction and faculty
The teaching team at Navalis: working professionals who deliver and oversee the institute's programmes.
Eng. Diego Cifuentes
Cap. Javier Abaroa (MCA)
Dr. Pau Ferrer
Dr. Nuria Llobregat
Eng. Javier Bañuls
Eng. Sofía Marquina
Eng. Tomás Riera
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Student Reviews
Reviews collected and verified by Opynio, not written by us.
Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
- 01Understand the waterfront as a system
- 02Assess urban coastal risk
- 03Design resilient coastal edges
- 04Plan port-city regeneration
- 05Manage and fund projects
- 06Lead participatory processes
Careers
Career Opportunities
01Waterfront urban planner: Planning and regeneration of the urban coastal edge.
02Coastal landscape architect: Designing public space and nature-based solutions.
03Urban climate adaptation consultant: Risk studies and strategies for coastal cities.
04Port-city liaison specialist: Managing projects in port authorities and local councils.
05Urban project manager: Developing and coordinating waterfront schemes.
06Coastal resilience specialist: Advising public bodies, developers and international organisations.
Questions
Entry Requirements
It is interdisciplinary: it combines urban planning, landscape, architecture and coastal engineering, without requiring you to be an expert in all of them.
No. The programme includes an introductory coastal dynamics module designed for design and planning profiles.
No. It is a specialist qualification and does not replace the professional registration or accredited degrees required to sign off architecture or engineering projects.
Yes. You analyse waterfront transformations in different cities and work with open coastal data.
A resilient transformation plan for a real waterfront, covering diagnosis, risk, design and phasing.
100% online, with a virtual campus available 24/7, live sessions that are recorded, and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The programme involves 1500 hours of study. You can work at your own pace within the timetable we give you when you enrol.
Each programme has its own start date, shown on this page and confirmed by our admissions team when you enquire.
On completing the programme you receive the Master's in Resilient Waterfronts and Urban Seafronts qualification awarded by Navalis Magna Institute.
Online admissions
Admissions Process
No waiting for a phone call. If your documents are complete, you can pay in the same session.
Entry requirements
Academic/professional profile: A degree in architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, geography, environmental science or a related field; or proven professional experience in urban or coastal planning. Language: A good working level of English to follow classes and materials. Technical requirements: A computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a webcam for live sessions and project presentations. Admissions process: Online application, profile review and a short interview with the academic team. We confirm your start date when you
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
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