Sustainable Cities and Infrastructure

The Sustainable Cities and Infrastructure major prepares you to design and implement low-carbon, climate-resilient solutions for urban environments and infrastructure systems. You'll integrate sustainability frameworks, urban planning principles, and smart technology applications to address the challenge of decarbonising the built environment.

You'll develop capabilities in circular economy design, climate change adaptation planning, and performance benchmarking for sustainable infrastructure. Applying life cycle assessment, ESG-aligned design thinking, and stakeholder engagement, you'll learn to propose solutions that reduce emissions, optimise resource use, and enhance urban resilience.

As one of the two majors you'll complete in the Master of Decarbonisation, Energy and Sustainability Management, Sustainable Cities and Infrastructure can be paired with Strategic Decarbonisation, Renewable and Sustainable Energy, or Corporate Sustainability Management, letting you build a cross-disciplinary skill set suited to your career goals.

3 reasons to study sustainable cities and infrastructure at Murdoch University

• #1 in Australia for overall educational experience, skills development, teaching quality and learner engagement in Engineering and Technology. Good Universities Guide 2026*
• Build the skills to decarbonise the built environment, designing low-carbon, climate-resilient infrastructure using circular economy principles, life cycle assessment, and smart technology.
• Pair Sustainable Cities and Infrastructure with a second major to develop the complementary, cross-disciplinary expertise today's fast-evolving workplace demands.

What you’ll learn

• Explore how climate science, sustainability frameworks and urban development shape energy use and carbon emissions in cities  
• Assess policies, smart technologies and regulatory frameworks to understand environmental performance of built environment projects  
• Examine how sustainable infrastructure and urban systems are designed and measured using climate resilient frameworks  
• Apply circular economy thinking, life‑cycle tools and ESG principles to develop emissions reduction and resource efficient solutions  
• Design and communicate sustainable urban development solutions using digital tools, performance measures and stakeholder input 

Your future career 

This major prepares you to lead sustainability in the built environment, across local and national government, urban development authorities, infrastructure operators, and consulting firms specialising in sustainable cities. Roles could include:

• Sustainability consultant (built environment)
• Urban planner
• Sustainable infrastructure consultant
• Green building specialist
• Climate resilience planner

For more details about our Sustainable Cities and Infrastructure Major, download our information pack.