Quality of life as a decision criterion
01Every project and decision is assessed according to its impact on the well-being of people, communities and territories, in both the short and long term.
Politecnico di Milano
Master PolisMaker
Sustainable urban development and quality of life
University Masters of Politecnico di Milano · Managed by CISE Consortium
16th edition
Over 20 years of Masters
April 2026 – April 2027
- Delivery mode
- On-campus and online
- Duration
- 12 months
- Award
- 60 ECTS · Executive Master
Visione
Designing and governing urban transformation for quality of life
The PolisMaker Masters are postgraduate advanced education programmes of the Politecnico di Milano, designed to train an interdisciplinary professional figure — the PolisMaker — able to operate strategically in sustainable urban and territorial development at every scale: from people-centred smart sustainable cities to small towns, from large urban systems to fragile contexts.
An executive Master for those who aim to understand, design and guide the urban, territorial and social transformations of our time. A programme focused on evaluating, enhancing and managing real estate projects and the financing of complex initiatives, placing quality of life, human existential space and communities at the core of decision-making.
Sustainable Urban Development · Quality of Life · Smart City · Care City · Small Towns · Real Estate · Real Estate Finance · Value Analysis and Management · Human Sciences
Approccio
Governing the complexity of choices
Cities do not change through projects alone, but through decisions.
Public and private, economic and social decisions that generate long-lasting effects on people’s lives and territories.
Visione sistemica
The PolisMaker Masters stem from this awareness: urban transformation is a complex process that requires evaluation capacity, systemic vision and responsibility.
Valutare alternative
The programme trains professionals capable of acting as decision evaluators, integrating technical knowledge, contextual interpretation and the analysis of alternatives in real-world settings.
Leggere i contesti
Metodi per capire città e territori, senza soluzioni preconfezionate.
Decisioni responsabili
Criteri chiari, impatti nel tempo, qualità del vivere al centro.
Profilo
Who is the PolisMaker
The PolisMaker is the professional who integrates academic knowledge, design and practical application. Rather than proposing a sector-based view of the city, it adopts a holistic and interdisciplinary approach in which urban planning, engineering, economics, law, human sciences and design interact in a structured way.
Sustainable urban development is addressed as a balance between:
- physical transformation of places
- quality of life for people
- responsible use of resources
- long-term value generated for society
Valori
Why PolisMaker
Sustainable urban development as an integrated approach
02Environmental, social and economic dimensions are considered as parts of a single system, avoiding sector-based readings and short-term solutions.
Cities and territories beyond standard models
03From large urban areas to small towns, the PolisMaker addresses diverse contexts without predefined solutions, interpreting the specific characteristics of each place.
Real estate and finance as drivers of transformation
04Real estate and financial processes are analysed as powerful tools shaping cities and territories, to be governed with awareness and public responsibility.
Value as a measure of alternatives
05Economic, social, environmental and cultural value becomes the criterion for comparing scenarios, guiding choices and assessing long-term impacts.
Human skills for complex decision-making
06Critical thinking, listening skills, systemic vision and decision responsibility complement technical expertise in transformation processes.
Programmi
The PolisMaker Masters
The educational offer is structured into first-level and second-level Masters, designed for different stages of professional development.
I livello
First-level Master – Polis-Making
Aimed at those who wish to develop competencies in the strategic areas of urban transformation and sustainability, gaining an integrated understanding of public and private decision-making processes affecting cities and territories.
II livello
Second-level Master – PolisMaker
An advanced programme for professionals seeking to strengthen their role in decision-making, alternative evaluation and value management within complex urban and territorial projects.
Edition
16th
Duration
April 2026 – April 2027
Commitment
Fri 8h · Sat 4h
Delivery
On-campus and online
Structure
60 ECTS · Executive
Approach
Interdisciplinary
Disciplinary areas
6 areas
Learning
Applied teaching, an annual workshop on real-world development projects, internships and project work.
Placement
90% within 12 months*
CPD credits subject to regulations (30 engineers · 20 architects) · 20+ years of Master programmes (since 2004)
*A stable share of graduates find, consolidate or improve a role aligned with the programme within 12 months after completion.
The Master in brief
Dati indicativi
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Faculty
Interdisciplinary faculty from academia and professional practice.
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Alumni
A professional network across public, private and third sector.
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Countries
Countries represented among alumni: an international, multicultural community.
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Partners
A network of institutional, academic and corporate partners.
Didattica
Teaching approach and methodology
PolisMaker teaching is applied, critical and reality-oriented.
The goal is to develop not only knowledge, but judgement and decision-making capability.
- Lectures and seminars with academics and professionals
- Design workshops on real cases
- Analysis of urban contexts, smart cities and fragile territories
- Internships compatible with professional activity
- Direct dialogue with actors involved in transformation processes
Visione
City, care and value
The PolisMaker adopts a care city perspective, where the city is not merely a system of functions but an existential space: the environment in which people live, work, move, build relationships and give meaning to everyday experience.
Speaking of the human “existential space” means recognising that urban transformations deeply affect quality of life, individual and collective well-being, opportunities and vulnerabilities. The city becomes a space of care — for people, places, relationships and resources — where design, economics and public policies assume direct responsibility.
Within this framework, economics is understood as a science of choices: a tool for evaluating alternatives and governing complex transformations in a conscious, responsible and lasting way.
Rete
Connection with the real world
The Master operates in continuous dialogue with public bodies, companies, professional firms and institutions involved in territorial development processes.
As evidence of this ongoing dialogue, PolisMaker collaborates with a network of institutional partners, companies and organisations that contribute to teaching activities, workshops and applied projects. Partners provide a direct point of contact with the real world and ongoing transformations, and they are an integral part of the Master’s ecosystem.
Placement activities and the alumni network support professional continuity and growth beyond the Master experience.
Partner & Collaborazioni
Una selezione di enti e organizzazioni con cui abbiamo collaborato.
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Istituto Nazionale di Previdenza Sociale INPS
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Consorzio Construction Innovation and Sustainable Engineering CISE-Polimi
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Assoedilizia
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Associazione Italiana per la Gestione e Analisi del Valore AIAV
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Centro de investigación de politica internacional - CEPI UBA
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DICIV · UniSa
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Universidad de Palermo
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UBA · Cs. Políticas
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Istituto Uomo & Ambiente
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Cattolica · ULTRA
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Istituzione
A Master of the Politecnico di Milano
Politecnico di Milano
Consorzio CISE
The PolisMaker Masters are university Masters of the Politecnico di Milano, managed by the CISE Consortium in close collaboration with the University.
This structure ensures scientific rigour, institutional recognition and methodological coherence.
Riconoscimento istituzionale
Assetto e coerenza metodologica garantiti dal Politecnico di Milano.
Rigore scientifico
Docenza e contenuti in continuità con la ricerca e le competenze dell’Ateneo.
Coerenza metodologica
Approccio interdisciplinare, valutazione e qualità del vivere come criteri guida.
Ammissione
Start your journey
If you recognise yourself in this way of thinking about cities, territories and the choices that shape them, the PolisMaker Master is a space for learning, dialogue and growth.
