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.
Embarking on the intersection of artificial intelligence and theoretical discussions, imagine a digital voyage where sophisticated tools act as investigative aides. Think of it as the analytical companion dissecting context, sentiments, and core concepts—a literary detective in the digital world. It takes a visual turn with topic modeling weaving a tapestry of themes, and network … Read more
Community is mostly depicted as a unifying tool that brings a sense of belonging, but does it also act as the root of urban conflict by defining who is an outsider? Through the use of AI, the text Cites or Urbanization? by David Harvey was reimagined as a part of a political discourse and represented … Read more
Introduction Embarking on the odyssey of urban studies, this blog post endeavors to unravel the intricate tapestry of urban theory. At its core, urban theory seeks to comprehend the dynamic relationship between cities, nature, and design, viewed through the lens of recent discussions within the realms of urban and environmental studies. The journey is marked … Read more
‘ The blurring and rearticulation of urban territories. Urbanisation processes are being regionalised and reterritorialised. Increasingly, former “central functions,” such as shopping facilities, company headquarters, research institutions, prestigious cultural venues, as well as spectacular architectural forms, dense settlement patterns, and infrastructural arrangements, are being dispersed outwards from historic central city cores, into erstwhile suburbanised spaces, … Read more
Harnessing AI to deconstruct text to visuals Introduction Welcome to our exploration of urban theory, where we decipher the complexity of urban theory through the lens of imagery and aphorisms. We—three students with diverse perspectives—have delved into the intricate narratives and critical readings to let us translate them to critical urban thinking. This blog post … Read more
Investigating the Impact of Open Green Spaces on Airbnb Rates with Python 1. Introduction The industry of tourism in Barcelona has seen a major hike in the past couple years. Post-covid Barcelona has also become an educational hub for students from across the globe. The increase in Inflow of people has also made platform urbanism … Read more
Enlarging the great… Emanuel Ginobili is one of the most -if not the most- accomplished Argentinian basketball players. During his 16 season basketball career in the NBA, that went on from 2002 to 2018, he won 4 championships as one of the San Antonio Spurs “Big Three”, was named an All-Star twice, was selected for … Read more
LighTopia, a transformative project where the community plays a pivotal role in shaping their public space through the lens of participatory design. In this immersive journey, we invite you to explore our comprehensive methodology, emphasizing collaboration, empathy, and the dynamic synergy between community insights and innovative design. 1. Site Context and Data Analysis: Our journey … Read more
Introduction Carrer d’Aragó is one of the busiest streets in Barcelona. With 4 car lanes and 1 bike lane, it receives thousands of vehicles every day, making it a center for noise and pollution. Additionally, it is home for a very diverse community and it’s located close to some of the most popular tourist spots … Read more
Abstract Trencadís transforms a transitory sidewalk to resident alcoves through the implementation of trencadís, a dynamic mosaic art form that responds to the distinctive needs and material preferences of its creators. The design approach is centered on understanding and reacting to resident preferences to resolve site challenges. Non-descript materiality is replaced with a parametric, pervious … Read more
In this blog post, we will walk through a comprehensive data analysis exercise using two datasets related to Barcelona – Airbnb listings and real estate prices. This exercise shows how the data was cleaned, transformed, explored, and visualized using Python alongside popular data science libraries such as Pandas and Plotly. Step 1: Download and Load … Read more
1. Introduction In the exploration of urban design and its impact on community well-being, “An Encounter with a Passage” delves into the heart of participatory design. This project revolves around the central question of integrating green spaces in urban settings, not just as an aesthetic feature but as a core element of community identity and … Read more
Visualizing dataframes using Geopandas and Plotly in Python introduction Python is a versatile and easy-to-learn programming language. GeoPandas extends the data manipulation capabilities of pandas to spatial data, providing a familiar and convenient environment for working with both tabular and geographical data. GeoPandas makes it easy to load, explore, and analyze geographical data. You can … Read more
The aim of the project was to redesign the Placa dels Enamorats and achieve the desired objectives: To identify challenges as well as positive aspects on the site, but also have a framework on which to base any design decision, several methods for gathering data were used. These methods allowed us to capture the essence … Read more
Using python as a digital tool to visualize and arrange datasets; trying to view household costs by accumulating various costs per week. Using the dataset and visualizing the various indices and topics of concern and further pointing out the accumulated average cost of all expenses in a household. Further visualizing the desired data as plotting … Read more
“Start the machine” …was the first operation in mind when asked to perform a task with Python script. One of the motivations to learn Python as an urban designer is to organize geospatial data with accuracy and legibility. Before we dive into the digital wilderness, of data trees and data frames, it’s important to note … Read more
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Embarking on the Python journey, I began by grasping the fundamental programming logics. This provided the basis for understanding program structure and execution, akin to learning the grammar of the language. Variables were introduced as the basic units for storing and manipulating data, laying the groundwork for more complex coding tasks. The concept of variables … Read more
Introduction Airbnb is a well know marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their property with people who are looking for accommodations, typically for short stays (Investopedia, 2023). As a powerful tool to connect people to hospitality supply around the world, and provide them quality spaces to stay, it heavily relies on the … Read more
Introduction As I stepped into the world of urban technology at IAAC, I was introduced to the new language of Python. Coming from a background with no prior experience in programming, this journey was not just about learning a new skill but also about a mindset shift. Python is a gateway into the complex world … Read more
Introduction In today’s data-driven world, the ability to visualize data effectively is a key skill. This blog post introduces the fundamentals of data visualization using Python, a powerhouse in the data science toolkit. We’ll explore essential libraries like GeoPandas, Plotly and Contextily, guiding you through the process of transforming raw data into insightful, visually appealing … Read more
Music is visualized everyday – but is there any accuracy to its representation? Can sound be accurately represented? If so, what does it look like? How is accuracy measured? While not fully satisfied with the answers found to these questions, Python’s mido package shed light on the how sound and color may be linked through … Read more
1.Geospatial Mapping using GeoPandas in Python In Python, GeoPandas plays a crucial role in facilitating geospatial analysis through its powerful functions. I will illustrate the concise process of leveraging GeoPandas to create maps of Barcelona. This involves a systematic application of GeoPandas’ functions for effective geospatial data synthesis and mapping. Step 1: Loading GeoDataFrame from … Read more
