Urban Design and Climate Resilience Masters
Limerick, Ireland
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 19,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EU: €19,000 per annum | EU: €7,500 per annum | note: year two fees are subject to change
The School of Architecture and Product Design offers an interdisciplinary studio environment, guided by experts from fields such as urbanism, architecture, landscape architecture, ecology, history, science, and philosophy. In a world facing complex urban challenges, we believe in thinking through design to foster climate-resilient solutions. The learning environment as a studio-based programme is experiential, challenge-driven, student-centered centred and collaborative. The programme is cutting edge in its content and therefore research-led, using current thinking and engaging students to develop contemporary research in the field of urban design and climate resilience.
Urban design in the era of the climate crisis is increasingly complex, requiring professionals to stay informed on the latest developments in town planning, sponge city principles, climate justice, sustainable mobility, and urban science. Designers must also possess the necessary tools to navigate intricate political, social, and spatial challenges.
For the past 15 years, the School of Architecture and Product Design has led the Intelligence Unit (IU), a research initiative focused on contemporary urban and regional issues, particularly in Limerick. This new program will become part of a Global IU, expanding its scope to explore urban challenges across diverse geographic, environmental, and political contexts. Wherever possible, we will collaborate with local stakeholders on real-world projects, ensuring that our work remains relevant and impactful.
Through engagement with diverse urban contexts—including shrinking cities, informal settlements, and post-war reconstruction—students will develop the skills to analyse and address complex urban planning challenges. This program equips graduates with the knowledge and tools needed to design resilient, adaptive solutions within the broader framework of global climate challenges.
The School of Architecture and Product Design in Limerick has spent the past three years collaborating with the School of Architecture in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on the country’s rebuilding programme. This partnership has engaged NGOs, local public sector architects, mayoral departments, and international academics and practitioners. The collaboration has led to the launch of two new urban design programmes, one in Ireland and one in Ukraine, running in parallel. In their first semester, and building on three years of joint work on Ukrainian cities, students from the School of Architecture in Limerick will contribute to Ukraine’s post-war rebuilding efforts alongside their counterparts in Kharkiv as part of the ‘Global IU.
The MSc UDCR is taught by highly-experienced Urbanists, Engineers, Ecologists, Architects, landscape practitioners, and researchers. The learning environment of the MUDCR is the Design Studio, where each student has their own individual workspace, along with space for exhibition and lectures.
As a student on the programme, you will be an active learner, working side-by-side and in collaboration with your classmates on projects driven by real-world challenges. The curriculum is informed by research and practice that is at the forefront of addressing the societal and environmental issues of today and of our future. The modules are research-led, involving research-through-design as well as more traditional research methodologies.
Throughout the four semesters, you will work full-time on campus in the studio, with the option to have a placement in semester 4, with teaching and lectures all in person in the studio. In addition, site and field visits take place at relevant points during the program.
The programme is two years full-time, with four semesters of study, each comprising 30 credits. The Design Studio I, II, and III modules will progressively advance your skills and experience in the core knowledge and processes of designing within complex urban, rural, and landscape environments. In each Studio, you will develop design proposals to respond to complex and challenging real-world environments that deal with Climate Resilience.
The Ecology module will equip you with the knowledge to thoughtfully integrate ecological perspectives into your design work and to demonstrate how designing with natural processes can help address climatic, environmental, and social challenges.
The module in sponge city principles will equip students how to think about sustainable urban drainage in cities, particularly in terms of rising sea levels and more frequent climate events, including flooding.
The module in the History and Theory of Urban Design ensures that you recognize how theories of urban design, understood across various historical stages, affect the design, management, and futures of cities.
In the second semester, students will start a module in Designing Policies or Town Planning, which will help them understand the contemporary issues at play when designing planning policies.
The module in Sustainable Infrastructure – Transport and Travel will teach students how to deal with complex contemporary sustainable methods of travel. This will range from large-scale city transport systems to demand management to smaller interventions that promote sustainable active travel.
Students will have the chance to choose between elective modules in semesters 2 and 3, where a range of contemporary modules will be selected. These modules allow the school and students to bring in relevant cutting-edge practitioners to work with students on short and highly influential research-led projects.
The module in Urban Science will equip students with a base knowledge of the tools and thinking available to them in the fields of urban science, embodied carbon modelling, and AI.
In the third semester, students will conclude their module work with a focus on climate justice, engaging in critical discussions on spatial justice, the migration crisis, and climate-induced displacement.
In the fourth and final semester, students can choose between two pathways: a professional placement or a thesis project.
The placement option allows students to work with a Local Authority or a qualified Urban Design practice, tackling real-world challenges in urban design or climate resilience through applied research.
Alternatively, students can pursue a research-based design project in the studio, following the structure of a traditional master’s thesis.
The placement program is integrated into the curriculum to provide students with hands-on experience while simultaneously engaging in academic research, ensuring a balance between practical application and scholarly inquiry.
Irish Students:
Currently, many Local Authorities in Ireland struggle to fill Town Planner positions due to a significant gap between the number of graduates and the rising demand for planning professionals. Town Planning Officers have recently been added to the critical skills list by the government due to the lack of Town planners in the country as of March 2025. The ongoing reform of the planning system has further exacerbated this resource gap, particularly in the emerging field of Urban Design.
Local authorities typically focus on two main areas: development management, where planners assess development applications, and forward planning, where they draft strategic plans. Traditionally, planners have developed documents like Development Plans and Local Area Plans based primarily on written policies. However, the recent increase in detailed Urban Design initiatives, such as master plans, Local Area Plans (LAPs), and Urban Development Zones (UDZs), necessitates trained designers capable of addressing complex design challenges.
The Irish Planning Institute (IPI) has urged the government to align planning reforms with the National Climate Objective. They highlight the need to address the historical under-resourcing of the planning system to meet Ireland's 2030 climate targets. During the IPI’s Annual Autumn Conference, President Mary Mac Mahon emphasized that the integration of climate action into planning policy is crucial. The Planning and Development Bill must be adequately resourced and aligned to ensure effective implementation by planning professionals. Many local authorities are currently unable to fill existing roles, particularly in forward planning, where there is now a greater emphasis on design and compliance with stricter development regulations.
This shift calls for a significant increase in Urban Designers skilled in climate resilience, who can collaborate effectively with engineers to balance planning initiatives with climate change mitigation efforts. The Irish government is investing heavily in forward planning and Urban Design through the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF) and the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF), with commitments of €2 billion and €1 billion, respectively, by 2027. Many projects funded by these initiatives require Urban Designers, further underscoring the demand for trained professionals. The evidence presented supports the need for a taught Master's in Urban Design and Climate Resilience to address the increasing demand for planners, Urban Designers, and Architects in Ireland.
The University of Limerick (UL) is well-positioned to lead this initiative, leveraging its School of Architecture and Product Design and the Intelligence Unit (IU) programme, which fosters connections with government departments and local authorities.
International Students:
In addition to the growing need for Urban Design in Ireland, other European and non-European countries and NGO’s also require skilled Urban Designers. Established programs in countries like the US and Canada, China, India, and the UK indicate a global demand for education in this field. The programme has been designed to give students a grounding in contemporary urban design issues that are relevant globally, but the school will also specifically work in contexts with complex geopolitical, environmental, or climate issues. We see this as a key point of difference to this course and other Urban Design courses globally, and have assembled our Steering group and our course structure to reflect that ethos. This has led to our collaboration with the School of Architecture in Kharkiv in Ukraine and our work with NGOs, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and UN-Habitat.
We expect a strong interest among international students to study Urban Design and Climate Resilience in Ireland, which is recognized for its coherent planning system. The proposed program includes a cooperative education component, allowing students to work with local authorities or private institutions during their final semester. This practical experience will enhance their skill sets and improve their employability, making the program more attractive to international applicants.
In summary, the establishment of a Master's in Urban Design and Climate Resilience at UL is both timely and necessary to address local and global demands, positioning the university as a leader in this vital area of study. The programme has been designed in conjunction with industry partners and an international expert