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.

Rethinking the Mekedatu Dam Project

The Cauvery basin is not just a river; it’s an intricate ecosystem that supports diverse flora and fauna and sustains the livelihoods of farmers in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Our hypothesis posits that the proposed Mekedatu dam, far from being a panacea, is an unnecessary venture that could further destabilize this delicate balance. The … Read more

City in Motion: Analyzing People Movement with Agent-Based Modeling

In the realm of urban design, understanding movement behaviors is paramount for creating efficient and people-centric city layouts. In this individual project, I delve into the intricacies of movement behaviors using computational tools and techniques, including agent-based modeling. By incorporating the loop evaluate field amplitude tool and employing vector display, scalar fields, heat maps, and … Read more

Greece’s Wildfires: Nature’s Fury or Human Ignition?

Introduction Greece’s scorching summers and dry climate create a perfect storm for wildfires. These fires cause widespread devastation, burning homes and harming ecosystems, with tragic consequences like loss of life. While the climate undoubtedly sets the stage, many in Greece believe human activity is the real culprit. Accidental fires from carelessness or deliberate acts of … Read more

Music_Mental Health

Undertaken by: Avi Sharma Hypothesis : Exposure to Music correlates with variations in Mental Health among people. We all know that listening to music can evoke various emotions, depending on the song. What I am exploring is the idea that exposure to music, in general, can play a role in shaping your overall mental health … Read more

‘Too Hot to Handle’

Miami cannot pay for its affordable housing without additional funding. Since 2020, the market has been scorching hot – with average rent rising at quadruple the pace of median income (Zillow, U.S. Census). New opportunities at the federal, state, and local levels will open budget to spend. But, conflicting federal and state geographies of interest … Read more

Gates in the Street

Looking for a correlation between the presence of closed condominiums in Bogota and Crime Rate “In Bogotá, one third of households live in gated communities. This phenomenon is a misleading application of the model idealized by the post-war urbanized American suburbs where an ideal, safe, happy, perfect life was idealized. A life where mobility prioritizes … Read more

Pykémon: Gotta catch ’em all!

Introduction Pokémon GO, the groundbreaking augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic, has revolutionized the gaming industry since its launch in 2016. With millions of players worldwide, the game transcends traditional gaming boundaries by integrating virtual creatures known as Pokémon into real-world environments. As players explore their surroundings, they encounter Pokémon spawns in various locations, … Read more

Tessellation Urbanism

In the realm of urban theory, navigating through dense academic papers and theoretical frameworks can often feel like traversing uncharted territory. The intricacies of language and abstract concepts can obscure the underlying essence, leaving many grappling for clarity. However, in the age of artificial intelligence, I have embarked on a groundbreaking journey to decode the … Read more

Redefining the Urban

Based on the theoretical frameworks of diverse urban theorists, this project explored multiple dynamics between the metropolis, design, and technology within the context of the Anthropocene epoch and the rise of technology. The following lexicon was developed and graphically illustrated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence, creating images that aim to cause a cognitive effect … Read more

Solving the maze

Mazes have fascinated humans for centuries. Solving them requires decision making based on limited knowledge, and the ability to remember and avoid previous mistakes. The problem of solving a maze from any given position within it, without knowing the location of the exit lends itself well to the iterative logic that is central to this … Read more

Unequal Blooms: Studying socioeconomic realities of Medellín’s “Eternal Spring”

Introduction In recent decades, the importance of urban green spaces and their potential impact on various aspects of urban life has gained significant attention from policymakers, urban planners, and researchers worldwide. The creation and maintenance of green spaces within urban environments have been associated with numerous benefits, including environmental sustainability, physical and mental health improvements, … Read more

‘Black Holes and Revelations’

Black Holes | Black holes accumulate mass with such force that light cannot escape. The invisible hand drove technological innovation resulting in economies of scale to production. This allowed for flexibility in the accumulation of capital and its products, compressing relative time and space, giving way to increasingly accessible and ephemeral consumption of goods, services, … Read more

45 Years of Piracy: Strengthening Global Maritime Security through Non-Military Approaches

Our project embarked on a mission to tackle global shipping piracy without resorting to military action. We faced a major challenge: finding and using publicly available information to craft a proposal that countries and international organizations would support. 1. WHY SHIPPING PIRACY? Within the context of Networked Flows, our directive was to pinpoint potential disruptions … Read more

Art on air

Introduction Air quality is a problem in many cities around the world, yet it remains largely invisible to the naked eye. This reality struck us deeply when the four of us, having lived in Barcelona, Lagos, Bangkok, and Medellin – our four cities of origin – came together. Amidst our diverse backgrounds and experiences, we … Read more

‘Gotta Catch ’em All’

Co-design & Experience Platform for Public Art as part of Data, Art and the City (5-day workshop led by Leyla Saadi) Adapted from Pokemon-Go, we propose the development of a place-based app that pops the City of Toronto’s public art scene, drives interest and support for local public art and artists, and co-designs future public … Read more

What is creativity?

Creativity is often seen as the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations. But, can we confine its vastness to mere definitions? Furthermore, can the creative output of cities be quantified? A notable attempt to do so was made Inkifi. They composed a data based ranking … Read more

The Future of Public Art

In the ever-evolving field of urban development, “The Future of Public Art” sets out to be a project that reimagines the role and impact of art in public spaces. At its core, the project seeks to quantify the value of public art through a systematic approach, anchored in three fundamental pillars: democracy, contextuality, and insightfulness. … Read more

The Arteries of Lombardy

Introduction In the past centuries, Milan used to be perceived as a water-city, with an economy propelled by canals that extended throughout it. However, as the city evolved, those waterways were gradually buried beneath roads, and the aquatic arteries that once defined Milan are now relegated to the periphery of the urban fabric. This covering … Read more

Coltura

Introduction Milan, Northern Italy’s epicenter, confronts economic and environmental challenges rooted in a shift from agriculture to manufacturing. To secure its future, Milan invests in knowledge, tourism, and place-based innovation, relying on revenue from high-income foreigners, students, and the European Union. Strategic efforts to transition to a green economy focus on renewable energy, waste reduction, … Read more

From Pollution To Pollination

1. Introduction Urban air quality is a pressing concern,  being the result of both natural elements and human-induced pollutants. The city of Barcelona grapples with local pollutants like NOx and PM10, primarily  caused by ground transport and industrial activities. While current policies focus on mobility solutions, the project questions the need for complementary approaches. The … Read more