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.

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Forms of Inadequacy in Dakar

Abstract Dakar is Senegal’s capital city and rapidly urbanizing economic center. Today, Dakar’s urban area is home to 3.54M people, half of Senegal’s population, and generates 55% of the Country’s GDP. This growth is artificially constrained by an urban growth boundary, where new homes are informally built, and due to the city’s topography, a peninsula … Read more

Future Cities: Lahore – A Vision for 2050

Where is Lahore? Lahore, the capital city of the Punjab province in Pakistan, is a historic urban center known for its rich culture, vibrant life, and significant economic contributions. Situated near the eastern border with India, Lahore stands as a testament to centuries of evolution, from a small walled city to a sprawling metropolis. As … Read more

Dhaka City’s Urban Nexus

Dhaka, the bustling capital of Bangladesh is at a critical juncture in its urban development. With a population exceeding 10.4 million, the city faces significant challenges in housing, transportation, and environmental sustainability. This project is a part of a comparative analysis done by the students, understanding these challenges under the framework of SDG 11 – … Read more

Future city: Bangkok 2030

Introduction In the dynamic landscape of the “Global South,” cities are at the forefront of rapid urbanization, presenting both opportunities and challenges for sustainable development. Recognizing the urgency of addressing these issues, a consortium of experts and practitioners has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to assess the nexus between urbanization and sustainability across diverse cities. … Read more

Future Cities: Cairo

Cairo, Egypt’s vibrant capital, exemplifies rapid urbanization in the Arab world. The city’s growth presents multifaceted challenges, from housing to transportation, reflecting modern urban planning complexities. This project explores Cairo’s development strategies, linking them to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 11: “Sustainable Cities and Communities.” By examining Cairo’s case, we gain … Read more

Lessons learned in Neuquén

The workshop challenged us to engage with the topic of planetary urbanization through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 agenda. We chose to work on the city of Neuquen as it represents an example of a city that is undergoing a fast transition in the context of climate change. Neuquen province has a rich … Read more

Thirst For Change

Abstract Latin America finds itself at a crossroads, facing a tightening grip from a seemingly paradoxical situation: a growing scarcity of water amidst regions prone to both droughts and floods. This foundational story explores the current and future drought conditions gripping the continent, highlighting the environmental, social, and economic challenges at play. Introduction Understanding the … Read more

Flight Paths in Python

The world is in constant flux, domestic and international flights play a role in the fast paced travel that has become a normality. This project was conducted with python script in Jupyter notebook, to map out the airports and routes on our planet. PYTHON SCRIPT: import pandas as pd ports = pd.read_csv(“pathtoports.csv”)print(ports)from shapely.geometryimport Pointimport geopandas … Read more

Torrents of change

Introduction: Shorter & Sharper Events Imagine the persistent drumming of rain against your window. Not the comforting tapping of a spring shower, but a relentless torrent that seems to prolong for days. This isn’t science fiction, but a glimpse into the potential future of many Latin American cities. A staggering 40% of the region is … Read more

Rising Waters

The year is 2100. Latin America is sinking. Due to global warming the polar icecaps have almost melted completely. In addition the increased temperature has caused the global water mass to expand by almost 1%. As a consequence sea levels are rising at unprecedented levels globally. The coastline in South America is hard-hit by these … Read more

Harnessing AI in Design: The Neural Network Component in Grasshopper

Grasshopper’s neural network component is turning data into smart, functional design solutions. The neural network component within this environment presents a new frontier for design intelligence. Here’s a walkthrough of how this component transforms raw data into smart design solutions. The Training Grounds: Neural Network Trainer Designers input parameters into the Neural Network Trainer—this is … Read more

Theories of the Urban II

URBAN RESILIENCE : A dynamic governance framework for the Anthropocene, urban resilience combines ecological strategies with infrastructure safeguarding, embracing diverse, site-specific approaches to ensure cities withstand and adapt to crises, thereby maintaining their core identity and functions. URBAN FUTURES: Reimagining sustainable cities in the climate crisis era, grounded in today’s social realities and informed by … Read more

Identifying safe spaces

Using a visiblity map in the residential district of Montserratina in Viladecans, Catalunya, we aim to identify which junctions in the most popular route or routes are safe and what street typologies promote safety. VILADECANS We were working on a project that had as an objective to create healthy and safe spaces for the city … Read more

Healthy Spaces of Viladecans

1. Abstract Healthy Spaces of Viladecans is an Internet of People studio project which forces designers to reimagine the city of Viladecans as a hub of spaces that enhance the mental, physical and social health of the users of these spaces. This project aims at understanding the intangible concept of “Healthy” through identification of parameters … Read more

From following instructions to autonomy

The project started with an experiment to see if an agent could follow a line and illuminate its path to see obstacles. The light is composed of isovits and only the ones in front of the agent are colored. The experiment went then to make the light 3D to illuminate buildings facades. Many approaches were … Read more

Agents from Outer Space

Introduction Simulations are a powerful tool for understanding the world around us as it exists, and also as it could be. The creation of models that reflect a given context by adhering to selected rules that are followed in said context, show how all the constitutive parts behave and evolve over time, and by doing … Read more

Fluid Dynamics

Introduction This exercise aims to create a customizable fluid simulator, to explore how microscopic particles interact with each other and their environment, ultimately building a foundation for understanding fluid dynamics at a smaller scale. The key challenge lies in computationally emphasizing the crucial behaviors of these particles. Fluids, despite appearing continuous, are actually comprised of … Read more

Computing Movements of an Urban Square

The research project imagined a tile of a underused urban plaza as a square-based petri dish to test the movement of points within the tiled surface. By defining a number of points within the geometry of the area, the density of tiles would decrease, relative to the closest point. The membrane between the ground plane … Read more

Empowering Vulnerable People with Adaptive Infrastructure

Every individual, regardless of age or economic status, can play a crucial role in shaping a sustainable future. In Viladecans, a gamified co-design process is recommended to turn this vision into reality. Challenges of an aging population, energy poor buildings, and coastal climate change vulnerability may be aligned with public program priorities to adapt Viladecans’ … Read more

Mobility Amidst Chaos

Exploring Changes in Movement Patterns Amid Violent Activities Abstract Walking amidst Chaos is a conceptual project which aims at seeing deviations in movement patterns of people in the wake of violent activities and conflicts within an urban fabric. The project is developed through a method of agent-based simulation to see the extent of change in … Read more

‘ATTRACT•DEVELOP•KEEP’

Tackling the Internet of People through Fortifying & Diversifying the economy in Viladecans, Spain Introduction Viladecans is a dynamic and thriving municipality with a rich history, diverse economy, and vibrant community life. Its strategic location, economic opportunities, and quality of life make it an attractive place to live, work, and visit in the Barcelona metropolitan … Read more

Places to stay

Viladecans greeted us with an unexpected tranquility. We arrived to the city on the commuter train from Barcelona, opposing the flow of morning commuters. The station was empty. A single street, lined with abandoned plots and industrial sheds led us up the hill into the town. A few hundred metres later the scene couldn’t be … Read more