🌍 Your next urban opportunity might be here

This week’s edition brings together a mix of opportunities to learn, grow, and take the next step in your urban career.

We’re highlighting the Professional Diploma in Urban Development at the Africa Urban Lab, which combines interdisciplinary learning in Zanzibar with online workshops and a practical Capstone Project. We’re also getting ready to open enrolment for the next edition of our flagship GIS and Spatial Analysis for Urbanists course, starting in September 2026.

Further down, you’ll find new roles across planning, community engagement, urban health, academia, and public transport. Whether you are early in your career, looking for your next challenge, or exploring a new direction, we hope there is something here for you.

🌍 OPPORTUNITY HIGHLIGHT

PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT at AFRICA URBAN LAB

Applications are open for the 2026–2027 Professional Diploma in Urban Development at the Africa Urban Lab in Zanzibar.

The programme brings together urban economics, planning, finance and governance, combining two intensive in-person study blocks with online workshops and a five-month Capstone Project for a real-world organisation.

📍 Two intensive in-person study blocks in Zanzibar
📚 Modules in Urban Economics, Urban Planning, Urban Finance and Urban Governance
🤝 A five-month remote Capstone Project with a real-world organisation
💻 Monthly online technical workshops
🌍 Access to a growing community focused on the future of African cities

We recommend it for urbanists looking to strengthen their interdisciplinary skills, gain practical project experience and learn alongside professionals working across different sectors and regions.

💡 Merit- and need-based scholarships are available, with all applicants automatically considered.

📅 Application deadline: 1 August 2026

Find out more and apply

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🗺️ Our Flagship GIS Course Application Open in a Couple of Weeks – Waitlist Is Now Open

Our next GIS and Spatial Analysis for Urbanists course will begin in September 2026, with enrolment opening soon.

The programme has already supported nearly 500 graduates worldwide and holds a 96% satisfaction rate, helping urban professionals build practical GIS skills they can apply across planning, mobility, climate, design, research, and strategy.

Join the waitlist to be the first to receive the new course details and secure your place before the next cohort fills up:

About the course

Join waitlist to get up to 20% off

More career opportunities handpicked by All Things Urban:

🏙️ Junior/Assistant Planner

• Organisation: City of Mountain View

• Location: Mountain View, California, USA

• Contract: Full-time, junior or assistant level

• Salary: $101,553.92–$151,636.42 per year

• 📅 Deadline: 28 July 2026

This role supports current and long-range planning, zoning, land-use and environmental review, including responding to public enquiries, processing permit applications, reviewing development proposals and advising architects, contractors, engineers and residents. Junior Planner applicants need a relevant bachelor’s degree, with no professional experience required, while Assistant Planner applicants should have at least one year of relevant experience; GIS expertise, local government experience and a relevant master’s degree are considered advantages.

🗺️ PhD Position: Urban Health Equity Impacts of Heat Risks

• Organisation: University of Amsterdam

• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Contract: Full-time, four-year PhD position

• Salary: €3,059–€3,881 per month

• Preferred start date: 1 November 2026

• 📅 Deadline: 9 August 2026

This interdisciplinary PhD examines how rising temperatures and environmental degradation affect children’s respiratory health in Amsterdam Southeast, and how urban green-space interventions could reduce these risks. The researcher will combine vulnerability mapping, qualitative interviews, fieldwork, and analysis of green-space planning and management. Applicants should hold a relevant master’s degree, have experience with mixed-methods and interdisciplinary research, and possess strong English writing skills, while Dutch is preferred.

🤝 Community Planner

• Organisation: Social Planning Toronto

• Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Hybrid)

• Contract: Full-time, 12-month contract, 35 hours per week

• Salary: CAD $60,271–$73,143.16 per year, plus benefits

• 📅 Deadline: 27 July 2026 at 11:59 pm

This role focuses on community organising, civic engagement, capacity building and advocacy for social, racial, gender and economic justice across Toronto. The planner will work with residents, grassroots organisations and community partners, facilitate workshops and events, coordinate initiatives and translate policy research into community action. Candidates should have 3–5 years of relevant experience, strong facilitation and coalition-building skills, and a relevant master’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

🏛️ Associate or Full Professor: Philosophy and the City

• Organisation: Maastricht University

• Location: Maastricht, Netherlands

• Contract: Full-time, 18-month contract with the prospect of a permanent position

• Salary: €6,835–€10,441 gross per month, plus holiday allowance and year-end bonus

• 📅 Deadline: 30 November 2026

This senior academic role explores cities as sites of political, material, artistic and social inquiry, with a focus on urban transformation, resilience, infrastructure and post-industrial regions. The professor will lead research, teach at bachelor’s and master’s levels, supervise students, secure external funding and collaborate with municipalities and civic institutions. Candidates should have an internationally recognised research profile connecting philosophy with urban studies or related fields, a strong publication and grant record, leadership experience and excellent English skills.

🚌 Consultant for the Public Transport Network Map

• Organisation: Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)

• Location: Nairobi, Kenya

• Contract: Freelance, temporary consultancy

• Compensation: Applicants should submit a financial proposal

• 📅 Deadline: Not specified; applications reviewed on a rolling basis

The consultant will transform Kigali’s public transport data into a clear, intuitive and visually consistent network map, contribute to stakeholder meetings, and prepare print-ready and installation-ready outputs for passengers, operators and city officials. Applicants should have relevant experience in cartography, GIS and public transport mapping, and submit a CV, portfolio of similar projects and financial proposal.

🚦 Associate Director: Programs & Design

• Organisation: Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI)

• Location: Remote, based in Asia, Africa, or Europe

• Contract: Full-time, approximately 40 hours per week

• Compensation: Based on the country of hire and local nonprofit/NGO market

• Start date: Q3 2026

• 📅 Deadline: 31 July 2026; applications reviewed on a rolling basis

This senior leadership role will oversee GDCI’s international portfolio of street-transformation programmes, design quality, multimillion-dollar budgets, funder relationships and impact reporting across more than 30 cities. The Associate Director will co-lead a multidisciplinary team, contribute to executive decision-making and represent GDCI globally, with frequent international travel. Candidates should bring substantial experience in programme and people management, strong urban and street-design knowledge, and the ability to work across cultures, organisations and time zones.

Thanks for reading and being part of this global community of urbanists shaping what comes next.

See you in the next one! 💛

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Note: The deadlines and conditions mentioned are subject to change; please verify with the respective organizations. All listings shared in this newsletter are for informational purposes only. All Things Urban is not responsible for the accuracy of the postings or the outcome of any application process.