Fundamentals for Smart Cities

About

Experience summer in Cologne while exploring how future-ready cities are built. In the CBS Summer Programme, the module Fundamentals for Smart Cities introduces you to the technologies and infrastructures reshaping urban life around the world.

From the Internet of Things and AI to digital participation and sustainable urban planning, you will gain insight into how cities use innovation to improve mobility, governance, energy, and quality of life. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and real examples from Germany and abroad, you will learn how digital solutions can make cities smarter, more inclusive, and more sustainable.

Taught by experienced lecturer and enriched by a collaborative international classroom, this course offers both theoretical foundations and practical perspectives – ideal for students curious about the intersection of technology, society, and urban development

Course leader

Chris Boge

Target group

The intense short-term programme is designed for bachelor and master students who are at least in their second year of studies with a solid Business, Management or Engineering background

Course aim

This module aims to equip students with a solid understanding of how smart cities are designed, implemented, and evaluated. You will explore the key goals of smart urban development and learn how digital technologies – from IoT and AI to blockchain, 5G, and big data – support these objectives.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:
● Understand foundational concepts, goals, and fields of application in smart city development.
● Describe how specific technologies relate to smart city objectives such as sustainability, mobility, and citizen participation.
● Analyse the opportunities and challenges of digital infrastructures, data sovereignty, and municipal decision-making.
● Connect technological innovations with real-world urban strategies and societal needs.

This module prepares you to think critically about the digital transformation of cities and to assess how technology can contribute to more efficient, sustainable, and inclusive urban futures

Fee info