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.
Petrópolis: Analysis & Strategic Responses for Flood-Vulnerable Contexts 1.1. History of the city Summary – 1.1. History of the City Petrópolis initially developed in valleys and along riverbeds, where construction was easier, but this laid the groundwork for future vulnerabilities. Located within the Atlantic Forest Biome, only 12.4% of its original forest remains due to … Read more
Understanding the complexity of urban flooding Across the globe, cities are facing the increasingly visible consequences of climate change, with floods and landslides ranking among the most destructive urban hazards. In Brazil, the city of Petrópolis offers a critical lens through which to study the layered vulnerabilities of urban settlements exposed to extreme rainfall, unstable … Read more
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
Climate Hope, Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Restoration Up to 40% of the world’s land is degraded Poor land management and conventional agricultural practices have degraded soils, reducing their ability to store carbon and absorb water, accelerating climate change and threatening food systems. Soils store 3x more carbon than the atmosphere, but 50-70% of their natural … Read more
Introduction: Understanding Besòs Beyond the Surface The El Besòs i el Maresme area in Barcelona carries a complex history—one shaped by migration, exclusion, and resilience. Often perceived through the lenses of insecurity and economic struggle, the neighborhood is in fact a vibrant intersection of identities, cultures, and urban transformations. Layers of Besòs is a research-driven … 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 … Read more
Informal settlements have become a pressing issue across Latin America, reflecting deep-rooted socioeconomic inequalities and rapid urbanization. In 2014, approximately one-quarter of the urban population in Latin American cities lived in informal housing. By 2017, this number had increased to nearly one-third, and the trend continues to rise. Each country’s informal settlements have unique names … Read more
January brought a challenging start for California, as a series of devastating wildfires swept through the state, endangering lives, destroying homes, and reshaping entire communities. These fires were not only among the most destructive in California’s history but also ranked among the costliest ever recorded in the United States. The scale of destruction was unprecedented, … Read more
Rising heat is an increasingly critical global condition driven by climate change, urbanization, and deforestation. Average global temperatures have climbed due to greenhouse gas emissions, leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves that threaten ecosystems, economies, and public health. Urban areas, in particular, experience exacerbated effects due to the urban heat island phenomenon, where concrete, … Read more
Multidimensionality of Time for Inclusive Urban Lives This project explores urban inclusivity through the multidimensional lens of time, using Barcelona as a case study. The analysis considers three temporal dimensions: time of day, time of year, and time of life, recognizing how these factors shape access to essential urban amenities. Proximity serves as the first … Read more
It is natural for the climate to changes over the millions of years, it is a way in which the planet regulates itself. The problem is that before the industrial revolution, before all the gas emissions started (around 1870), the planet would heat up one degree every 1000 years. Now it’s one degree every 100 … Read more
The Sundarbans Reserve Forest is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. A wildlife sanctuary with an area of 139,700 ha, considered as a core breeding area for a number of endangered species (The Sundarbans, n.d.). and home of the Bengal Tiger. STUDY AREA The Sundarbans is a shared protected area between India and … Read more
The exploratory analysis performed by Josefina Ovalle, Maja Mawusi and Michał Modelski We present you an exploratory analysis on the New York City’s Citi Bike network in New Jersey. We chose the latest dataset, from October 2024, that gives us data on bike stations, bike types, bike users, and bike usage over time. The choice … Read more
ABSTRACT Derived from the 2020 pandemic sanitary measures for Covid-19, Google created the Community Mobility Reports, which provide valuable insights of how people’s mobility changed as a result of the established health policies. The objective of this analysis was to understand how United States residents’ mobility behavior changed over time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. … Read more
Located in the heart of Barcelona, where the history of the city began, the Gòtic Quarter is an iconic neighborhood, we sought to understand its complex dynamics and whether its economic model could truly be called sustainable. From Roman foundations to bustling contemporary streets, the Gòtic Quarter embodies a story of transformation. But behind its … Read more
As part of the Master in City & Technology Introductory Workshop, our team was tasked with studying La Barceloneta, a district characterized by its complex layers of social, economic, architectural, and administrative systems. This project aims to explore these dimensions, highlighting the interactions between tourism and the local community in one of Barcelona’s most iconic … Read more
