The massive generation of urban data allows for more optimized, self-sufficient and responsive urban designs that follow the needs of both environments and users. When urban design adapts to the environment it trespasses its artificial rigidity, becoming a living organism, able to breathe, filter, grow and be in resonance with it users, both human and more than human, engaging with both artificial and human intelligence in order to operate and thrive.
Within this context, a new paradigm arises for the design of the future urban environment which redefines the form and performance of buildings and public spaces. It leads us to question the ways in which the production of resources can be integrated into new urban landscapes and the ways in which temporal dynamics will affect the creation of masterplans in the future. The projects developed within this theme will focus on developing critical and creative research towards strategies and design proposals for the urban environment, by looking into big data, human and non human behaviours, socio-economic vulnerabilities, new urban ecologies, urban densification, new urban infrastructure, across the diverse scales of our urbanised territories.
The Landscape of Risk India has witnessed 3782 major landslides between 2015–2022.Regions like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, and the North-East are especially vulnerable. Landslides disrupt cities, block roads, damage homes — and in some cases, like Wayanad in 2024, result in loss of lives and millions in damages. The Research Question How can remote sensing … Read more
Overview Visualizing Visibility of Women+ Safety is a research initiative aimed at evaluating how the design of public spaces influences perceptions of safety for women+ in India, particularly in Delhi. The central question driving this study is: “How can we assess the current paradigms of urban design to better understand and improve perceptions of safety … Read more
This blog post presents a comparative study of spatial strategies in contemporary housing, using the concept of ‘islandisation’ as a critical lens. Islandisation, defined as a process of increasing detachment from interconnected networks, is explored across a range of case studies Introduction “The tension between isolation as systemic control versus isolation as protective communing raises … Read more
Diving deeper into building a reliable rating algorithm The Importance & Significance of the F&B establishments in the City Food and Beverage (F&B) service outlets are significant indicators of urban progress as they reflect evolving consumer preferences, economic vitality, and the integration of social spaces within urban landscapes. These establishments act as hubs for community … Read more
Context Bogota is the capital of Colombia. Both the perception of unsafety of its inhabitants as well as the amount of urban crime have been rising over the last years, with over 70% of the population feeling unsafe, and more than 120 thousand theft victims in 2023. The local government response to this has mainly … Read more
This study proposes a conceptual framework for examining contemporary housing conditions through the lens of 21st-century urbanism. Drawing from a selection of influential texts, it systematically identifies and synthesizes key theoretical concepts into a set of recurring idea clusters. These clusters are then distilled into concise statements that illuminate core issues shaping the current housing … Read more
Introduction Landslides in certain regions of India, have been a frequent occurrence, and are further exacerbated by its unique geographic and climatic conditions. Between 2015 and 2022, over 3,700 major landslides were recorded, with 12.6% of the country’s land area prone to such disasters. The regions most affected include the northern states of Himachal Pradesh, … Read more
URBAN WAYFINDING FOR THE BLIND Understanding how visually impaired or blind individuals navigate urban environments reveals significant challenges tied to mobility injustice across various scales. This issue extends beyond individual obstacles, encompassing systemic gaps in urban design that fail to accommodate diverse needs. My thesis delves into these injustices, exploring the barriers that hinder equitable … Read more
How do we evaluate the current paradigms of designed public spaces to test the perceptions of safety of women+ in India such that it aids urban designers to make free movement of women+ easier in India, especially Delhi? Overview Women+ and Urban Safety is a research to find answers to the question of “how do … Read more
Context Bogota is the capital of Colombia. Both the perception of unsafety of its inhabitants as well as the amount of urban crime have been rising over the last years, with over 70% of the population feeling unsafe, and more than 120 thousand theft victims in 2023. The local government response to this has mainly … Read more
Rethinking Design, Collaboration and Resilience The accelerating climate crisis necessitates a fundamental rethinking of how we design and manage our landscapes, cities, and technologies. This thesis, “Landscape as a Climate Catalyst: Rethinking Design, Collaboration, and Resilience,” explores the integration of dynamic, climate-responsive systems to address the interconnected challenges of carbon sequestration, ecological regeneration, and socio-economic … Read more
