Sustainable Real Estate: Risk, Resilience and Value in the Built Environment
Learn how to lead the transformation of the built environment by addressing sustainability risks and seizing emerging opportunities as you learn to collaborate across the sector, impacting communities, real estate assets and the full lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure.
The Sustainable Real Estate: Creating a Better Built Environment online short course, developed by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), provides you with the knowledge and tools to address sustainability challenges and seize related opportunities within the built environment. The course explores the greatest risks facing the sector, as well as industry trends, regulations and market changes. Throughout this course, you will examine how sustainable design, procurement, planning and real estate investment practices can create long-term social, environmental and financial value for all stakeholders. In this course, we take a systems approach and consider the entire life cycle, exploring strategies and practices that mitigate risk, increase performance and strengthen resilience.
Over eight weeks, you will develop a personal action plan to address sustainability challenges within your built environment context. This plan will guide you in identifying opportunities for improved sustainability performance and enable you to take practical steps to lead change in your organisation or sphere of influence. By implementing these strategies, individuals and organisations can contribute to a more sustainable future and positively impact communities, supply chains and the systems that shape how buildings and infrastructure are financed and managed.
Course start dates
- 7 October 2026
Format
- Online, tutor-assisted
Length
- 8 weeks (+1 week orientation) 7–10 hours per week
Is the Sustainable Real Estate course for you?
This course is designed to provide professionals from a wide range of disciplines, such as finance, planning, design, construction, operations and client services and with a foundational understanding of the sustainability challenges and opportunities in the built environment sector. The course is tailored to meet the needs of various practising professionals, including real estate developers, entrepreneurs, city planners, architects, engineers and other built environment professionals. Through this course, students will gain insights into how technology, data, regulations and design approaches can support low-carbon development, increase community resilience, improve energy performance, and enable climate mitigation and adaptation.
Public sector professionals will also benefit from this course, as it examines the impact of sustainability on society, systems and the broader built environment. Investment professionals will also find value in this course, as it explores how climate and transition risks are reshaping real estate asset values and investment decisions.
Regardless of role, seniority or familiarity with sustainability, the course is an excellent opportunity for those looking to ensure business resilience, seize sustainability opportunities and contribute to a thriving future for people, nature and the climate.
Sustainable Real Estate: Risk, Resilience and Value in the Built Environment
Module 1: Risks and opportunities in the real estate sector
Module 2: Net zero, nature and the future of cities and places
Module 3: Applying systems thinking for a resilient built environment
Module 4: Redefining value and reducing risk in real estate
Module 5: Designing and delivering sustainable built assets
Module 6: Operational innovation, technology and performance in the built environment
Module 7: Strategies and actions to transform the built environment
Module 8: Communicating and collaborating to maximise influence and impact
What will set you apart
On completion of this course, you will walk away with:
- An understanding of the intersecting sustainability trends impacting the built environment and real estate sector, as well as related risks, opportunities and emerging solutions.
- Insight into how a more sustainable and resilient built environment benefits communities and delivers social and business value.
- A personal action plan to deliver sustainable outcomes in your organisation or sphere of influence.
- Networking opportunities to grow your professional network and connection to the wider Cambridge sustainability community.
- Unlimited access to edX's Career Engagement Network, offering you exclusive resources and events to support your professional journey and drive your career forward.
Course Convenors
The design of this online course is guided by CISL faculty and industry experts who will share their experience and in-depth subject knowledge with you throughout the course.
- Kirsten Henson- Founding Director, KLH Sustainability
- Martin Roberts- Sustainability and education specialist and former Director of Digital Learning, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
CISL Connect: Online live sessions
CISL has developed three bonus CISL Connect: Online Live Sessions for all students joining any of our ten business sustainability leadership courses. Through these sessions, you’ll get direct access to CISL's leading voices on today’s most urgent business topics – competitiveness, AI and resilience. This format gives you the chance to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas with a far broader global network of professionals beyond your cohort.
CPD certified
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 60 hours of learning.
Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon you. CISL and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
Learn to lead in a changing world
Join over 24,000 students globally who have already benefited from the opportunity to:
- Gain verifiable and relevant competencies and earn invaluable recognition from a top-tier university, entirely online and in your own time.
- Enjoy a personalised, people-mediated online learning experience that consistently achieves over 90 per cent course certification rate.
- Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.
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Delivered in Collaboration with GetSmarter
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) is collaborating with digital education provider GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, Inc., to provide an interactive and supported online learning experience.