IAAC’s Master in City & Technology (1 or 2-year program) is a unique program oriented towards redefining the analysis, planning, and design of twenty-first-century cities and beyond. The program offers expertise in the design of digitally enhanced, ecological and human-centered urban environments by intersecting the disciplines of urbanism and data science. Taking place in Barcelona, the capital of urbanism, the Master in City & Technology is training the professionals that city administrations, governments, industries, and communities need, to transform the urban environment in the era of big data.
Introduction Wealth disparity leads to social and economic challenges resulting in social exclusion. 21.6% of population in the EU are at risk of social exclusion. A study confirmed that 61.7% of socially excluded people tend to be segregated. Understanding the origin of the word Segregation – initially used to set sheep apart from the flock, … Read more
The Environmental Asset Resilience (EAR) Tool is a response to the pressing global challenge of environmental instability, particularly in urban areas. These areas face substantial costs associated with environmental problems and climate change. However, decision-making in addressing these issues is complicated by conflicting priorities, limited resources, and a lack of expertise. The EAR Project aims … Read more
Alejandro Aravena, renowned for his role in facilitating the recovery of a city struck by an earthquake and a tsunami, asserts that Participatory design transcends mere inclusivity and offers enhanced efficiency. Conventional methods may not yield the desired effectiveness, necessitating a reevaluation of the tools employed for participation.Barcelona, for instance, has already experimented with a digital … Read more
INTRODUCTION Urbanization poses escalating threats to ecological systems, necessitating the creation of urban ecological commons. This exercise focuses on Mumbai’s metro network, comprising 357 kilometres, 16 lines, and 38 interchanges, as a context for enhancing neighbourhood biodiversity through strategic environment plugins. By leveraging NDVI mapping from Google Earth Engine, areas with high ecological threats and … Read more
Navigating Urban Realities through Women’s Perception of Safety Cities all over the world are being quantified and rated in terms of their livability and life quality for better understanding of citizen satisfaction. Safety, including both the tangible aspects and the subjective perception of safety, is a critical component in assessing urban life quality. According to … Read more
TRANSFORMING CITIES INTO URBAN FORESTS This principle, proposed by Cecil Konijnendijk, highlights the significant role played by urban forests and other forms of urban nature in promoting our health, well-being, and resilience to climate change. It acknowledges the need to consider various aspects of urban forests to achieve success. It also emphasizes the importance of … Read more
Alejandro Aravena, renowned for his role in facilitating the recovery of a city struck by an earthquake and a tsunami, asserts that Participatory design transcends mere inclusivity and offers enhanced efficiency. Despite recognizing the significance of public participation in urban planning, we delve into the persisting factors that hinder its optimal efficiency. Conventional methods may … Read more
Urban Green Spaces are critical urban infrastructure – equally important to how our city functions as transport networks, and particularly vital to the wellbeing of our community. Urban greening supports Melbourne’s economy, providing cooling and amenity which supports the pedestrian economy and reduces operating costs for local businesses. Melbourne is encouraging more innovative methods for … Read more
Singapore, a quickly developing city-state is running out of land and linear expansion with new housing will soon no longer be an option. The project strategically targets public housing as a place of densification and a source of urban mining, aiming to solve the problem of upcoming precast concrete waste. Therefore a circular micro-district design … Read more
This project explores the relationship between urban heat and mental health in a city using clustering analysis. Four distinct clusters were identified, revealing patterns related to population percentages with mental health problems, urban heat levels, and proximity to industrial areas. Additionally, the study examines the association between urban heat, housing stress, and access to natural … Read more
OPTIMIZING THE EXISTING WALKABILITY INDEX Urban design plays a pivotal role in shaping the livability of a city, and walkability is a crucial aspect that directly impacts its residents’ quality of life. The City of Melbourne has developed a Walkability Index. This project aims at optimizing the existing framework by integrating key parameters related to … Read more
The New Delhi Material Repository and Urban Mining project focuses on the city’s sustainable development by implementing the principles of urban mining and establishing a material repository. As the capital city of India, New Delhi holds significant historical and governmental importance, with its urban fabric comprising a combination of planned and unplanned elements. However, with … Read more
Considering the imminent demolition and in-situ rehabilitation of highly dense slum settlements, how might the application of generative algorithms facilitate the maximization and optimization of housing units within the existing spatial constraints? The slums and the unauthorized colonies are located across Delhi to identify which zones needs in-situ slum rehabilitation, there are over 700 slum … Read more
Recycling construction materials is of paramount importance in a city like Barcelona due to its numerous environmental, economic, and social benefits. Barcelona, like many urban centers, faces challenges related to rapid urbanization, resource scarcity, and environmental sustainability. By implementing a robust construction material recycling concept, the city can significantly reduce its construction waste, lower its … Read more
The Boulevard Method utilizes big data analytics and multi-objective optimization processes to map the existing materials building stock and propose adata-driven urban strategy for the future densification of the city of Helsinki. By making the hypothesis that certain roadways will become obsolete in the future due to the transformation of urban mobility, this study analyzed … Read more
Optimizing Helsinki’s Boulevard Densification Method Helsinki, the vibrant capital of Finland, faces significant changes as it prepares for the future. With important challenges ahead such as the continuous population growth for the next decades and the associated risk of urban sprawl in suburban developments, the city must address the issue of land fragmentation by transforming … Read more
Main challenge: densify city, connect nature, and mitigate embedded CO2 Singapore is one of the densest countries in the World. Nature-conscious city densification has to consider reimbursement of natural patches within built environment, applying an connecting nature approach similar to a multi-tiered tropical forest. Mitigation of embodied carbon stays in a row with nature connectivity. … Read more
Punta Vagno! was developed by Kriti Bhavesh Nirmal, Maddalena Caviglia, Noé Guérin, Sophie Köcher-Schulz, Maria Augusta Kroetz, Étienne Lajoie-Asselin, Joshua Mingers, Marta Pianta, with the support of trainers from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, the University of Genoa and ALDA, during the Green Skills for Cities … Read more
Before the implementation of Cerda’s radical expansion plan, Barcelona was bound by their medieval walls and making every effort to accommodate its overflowing population. Cerda’s plan took into account scientific objectives that would create a city that is not just a well planned co-habiting space but also user-centric. Some of his objectives were gardens in … Read more
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FOR CIRCULAR CO-PRODUCTION OF ECOLOGICAL SERVICES. GREENWAVE was developed by Ben Bello, Can Xu, Erum Khaled, Manuel Beca, Lucia Mack, Parshav Sheth, Zerihun Tassano, with the support of trainers from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, the University of Genoa and ALDA, during the Green … Read more
The City of Marvelous Disorder is a study was conducted during the ‘CaaS studio (City as a Service): The future of cities’ services in the AI times’, that aims to built a methodology on mapping the creative sector and high education ecosystem of Barcelona, with a particular focus on social creative industry that works within … Read more
The project focuses on promoting the physical, mental, and social well-being of older adults in the city of Barcelona through various initiatives, the goal is to empower older adults to remain active and engaged in their communities, and to promote healthy ageing and independence. Projected population aged 65+ What is Ageing? Health in the older … Read more
INTRODUCTION Urban planning decisions have a significant impact on the development of cities, and using machine learning can provide decision-makers with valuable insights to make informed decisions. By clustering urban areas based on various factors such as population density, built density, POI density, green cover, and build diversity, we can reveal spatial patterns that can … Read more
