Sustainability is a topic with deep implications, as reflected by the approval of the 2030 Agenda for the sustainable development that has 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of these SDGs tries to achieve the sustainability of cities, for which we have verified that their resilience is necessary against natural hazards (NH). For the persistence of NH through time on a world scale, it is crucial to train expert technicians in the prevention and control of these risks. For this research, two studies have been made, one focused on research into the training of environmentalists by means of gamification, and the other to verify the potential of this same tool in the NH analysis and management. With this work we have been able to verify that the model of city designed can be an alternative and more sustainable model to the current solutions, also corroborating the usefulness of simulation in their design and its role in the resilience against NH. On the other hand, in relation to the teaching of the subject under study, based on the competences studied, this study is considered successful, demonstrating the utility of gamification and simulations in the formation of environmentalists.

The United Nations Agenda for 2030 lists Sustainable Development Goals which include quality education, which we have pursued in the Undergraduate Final Project of the Environmental Sciences Degree at the University of Granada (Spain). This entailed designing sustainable cities, including the management of natural hazards. We created an innovative didactic model using gamification, in which the student adopted the researcher role using the computer game Cities: Skylines as a simulation tool. Using a design-based method, we conducted a qualitative single-case study in which the professor observed the process and guided the student’s self-learning in a fun way. Under this guidance, the student made decisions alone in order to simulate a sustainable city, and afterwards to analyse the findings. Three variables were considered in order to evaluate the results concerning the quality of the student’s learning: 1) the experiment using the game, 2) motivation, and 3) the skills acquired. In all three, the student earned a high score. Of the 12 skills established as the specific goals of the teaching plan, the student reached a very high level in 10, and a high level in two, implying the overall success of the learning process. The study achieved its main goal, as an innovative didactic methodology was established based on student’s research, using gamification and simulation with a technological tool. Moreover, the case study gave positive results, with the student proving capable of developing scientific and professional competencies at an optimal level.