The Master in City & Technology’s academic structure is based on IAAC’s innovative, learn-by-doing and design-through-research methodology which focuses on the development of interdisciplinary skills. During the Master in City & Technology students will have the opportunity to be part of a highly international group, including faculty members, researchers, and lecturers, in which they are encouraged to develop collective decision-making processes and materialize their project ideas.
This project focuses on accessibility and orientation between nearby schools and Parc dels Pins in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. It emphasizes children and inclusion. Through co-creation with local schools, the design tests inclusive wayfinding strategies using sensory and tactile signage. These aim to improve safety, visibility, and spatial awareness. The process brings together children, educators, … Read more
We had an incredible, whirlwind five days co-creating public spaces with Pablo Muñoz, Luisa Torres, Josefina Ovalle Parot, and the amazing community of Santa Coloma de Gramenet. It felt like a rapid-fire game—running around the park, talking to people, collecting stories, analyzing data in GIS and Grasshopper, figuring out who to design for, and then … Read more
What can it look like to design spaces with empathy? In late October, our class had the opportunity to visit Parc del Pins in Santa Coloma de Gramenet to reimagine its public space during a one-week workshop. We spoke with members of the municipality, who generously offered their time and perspective on how Santa Coloma … Read more
Santa Coloma de Gramenet, located to the north of Barcelona, is bordered by the Besòs River on the west and the Marina Mountain Range on the north. The city’s terrain features an irregular relief that rises to 303 meters at Mount Castellar, its highest point, a topographical character also visible within Parc dels Pins. The … Read more
An exploration how to enhance independent mobility for blind individuals by addressing psychological and systemic barriers. Using a participatory design approach, it goes beyond assistive tech to build an ecosystem of tools, behaviors, and spatial strategies that support confident navigation. A taxonomy with blind participants organise emotional, spatial, and user insights into a practical design … Read more
Quito is located in the north-central part of the Andean region of Ecuador, in south america. Given its high elevation, it is one of the highest capitals in the world. With a population of 1.9M people, it is the second-largest city of Ecuador. It is located in the province of Pichincha in the canton of … Read more
About This project investigates how colonial patterns of urban design in Footscray have historically shaped and continue to shape the experiences of mobility, vulnerability, and belonging among First Nations people. By tracing the spatial legacies of dispossession and infrastructural violence, the work critically maps how extractive logics have severed Indigenous connections to place. In response, … Read more
As part of the Responsible AI Hackathon, we explored how to critically assess the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in urban projects. The workshop introduced tools and frameworks to help participants map, evaluate, and reflect on the risks associated with deploying AI systems in urban environments, emphasizing the importance of responsible and … Read more
Jakarta’s rapid urbanization has outpaced the development of equitable mobility infrastructure, exacerbating safety disparities, particularly for low-income women navigating the city at night. While formal policies fall short, informal transport networks like Angkot fill critical gaps, despite exposing riders to physical and psychological risks. This study explores how machine learning can be used to fill … Read more
Ndama, the fastest-growing informal settlement in Rundu, Namibia, faces critical challenges in water accessibility shaped by gender, age, income, and spatial isolation. With women disproportionately responsible for water collection under unsafe and inequitable conditions, our study combines interviews and spatial data to map intersectional vulnerabilities. We developed an interactive tool that simulates real-world constraints—heat, crime, … Read more
Governmental and NGO databases have played a key role in shaping our research, providing access to existing data and enabling us to connect it with other spatial platforms. Building on these foundations, our work expands the scope of vulnerability analysis by using satellite imagery to detect emerging informal settlements, while layering in additional environmental and … Read more
“The Amazon rainforest, often called the ‘lungs of the Earth,’ is rapidly disappearing. But this isn’t just an environmental crisis—it’s a geopolitical and economic issue. In the heart of this transformation lies [Mato Grosso], Brazil’s largest soy-producing state. Its key location fuels both economic growth and ecological destruction, leading to tensions over land use, trade policies, and environmental governance.” … Read more
This research began with one of the most basic human motivation: curiosity. Looking at satellite imagery, we noticed strange, perfect green circles along the desert landscape. What are they? Why are they there? And what do they mean? Along this blogpost, key concepts will be explained , along to the reason of why we choose … Read more
January 7th marked the beginning of one of the most devastating wildfire events in California’s recent history. A series of fires struck the city of Los Angeles, and within just 24 hours of the first ignition, the city was already facing three major wildfires in Pacific Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst. At that point, two fatalities … Read more
Safety Perception in Jakarta Why Simulate Perception in Urban Spaces? In the realm of smart city design and urban analytics, one of the most nuanced yet underexplored datasets is perceived safety. This perception isn’t easily quantifiable, yet it critically influences how public spaces are used, trusted, or avoided. Traditional surveys are the go-to method for … Read more
Project Introduction Urban environments are constantly evolving, shaped by the movement of people, the flow of traffic, and the presence of infrastructure. Yet, understanding these patterns at the street level — especially across an entire neighborhood — can be difficult, time-consuming, and highly subjective. In this project, we present a computer vision–based visual audit of … Read more
