The course will deal comprehensively with all aspects of urban resources which is a fundamental element in the process of realizing the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

There are increasing demands for better infrastructure and public services in urban areas, while available resources to urban local governments including municipalities are woefully inadequate. This has caused cities and towns to face financial challenges that hinder municipalities and local governments to take effective actions to improve the quality of urban life for the inhabitants. 

The focus of this course will also be to provide insight into the current constraints cities and towns face both financial and non-financial and the variety of technical, financial and strategic challenges.  One of the major challenges faced by cities and towns is their limitations on decision making, which is heavily influenced by the central and provincial governments and fragmented across departments. Cities are further burdened with   the financial and implementation responsibilities passed down from higher levels of government with limited input in the and decision-making process. This is further challenged due to the number and variety of actors (public, private, civil society, individuals) involved. 

In addition, through case studies, the Summer school program will provide   a deeper understanding on  enabling institutional factors that contribute to resource efficiency through municipalities’ day-to-day decision and management activities  in their efforts to address urban sustainability and realizing the SDGs. 

The Summer School will provide an opportunity to delve into how cities can mobilize new resources to find solutions for allocations pertaining to urban management and urban economic development. 

Municipalities regularly implement different projects to meet the needs of their citizens and solve various problems that exist in their cities. A core concept of the course is to use examples of various municipal projects from around the globe for the participants to discover the current dynamics at work regarding the use of resources at the local levels to finance the transition to sustainable cities and communities. 

As many of the participants will be practitioners connected to projects, tremendous synergy can be produced by exchanging experiences. This can also lead to post-course collaboration in further sharing their experiences on how resources and opportunities can create new models for the development of projects, given limited financial resources and barriers. 

Another component of the course will be on Urban assessment which is a key element in understanding  the priorities and approaches in urban management, particularly in the decision –making process. Access to adequate urban data is essential for making urban assessments. However, the lack of access to correct urban data in many cities and countries is a main problem in contemporary urban planning. 

 There are a wide range of approaches and progressive programs pertaining to the realization of SDGs. The Summer school course is helping the stakeholders in cities including city managers to translate the UN level declarations into city level actions. There will be more attention paid on integrated planning and fiscal responsibility and other relevant disciplines in the context of urbanization to make cities and towns more resilient and sustainable according to SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities): "make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". 

Urban Economy Forum is launching this Summer School programme to involve municipalities, cities and towns to accelerate their movement towards sustainability and create a cohesive language on the subject of sustainable urban resources and support the process for exchanging best practices.

The summer school's aim is for participants to interact with each other virtually and engage with teachers, speakers and experts with academic and professional backgrounds. There will be a variety of interactive lectures and discussion sessions, where everyone will have the opportunity to get involved.