Evidence-based planning and design: STAMP/space syntax/place syntax

Short bio: The Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab from UCY is a transdisciplinary scientific endeavor focusing on describing and interpreting how the built environment impacts society and on translating evidence from the analysis of urban environments for application in design practice and policy. The mission of the lab is to support the development, design and planning of cities which enable and foster social progress, sustainable practices and healthy habitats by fostering research capacity and excellence in urban design, planning and governance towards understanding and addressing urban challenges, as well as valuing and exploiting opportunities afforded by cities and urban communities.

Overview & Aims: Evidence-based design is an approach that involves using research and data to inform design decisions. It is a process of collecting and analyzing data to gain insights into user behavior, preferences, and needs, and using that information to guide design decisions. The goal of evidence-based design is to create designs that are effective, efficient, and user-friendly. Examples of evidence that can be used in evidence-based design include user feedback, analytics data, and user research.

Keywords: Evidence-base planning practices, spatial analysis, integration, space syntax, place syntax, GIS, accessibility, connectivity

Information about the course instructors and partners involved:

• Research data that will always be combined and supported by scientific approaches
• Research strategy can complete gaps about a disregard context, separation of functions & uses, lack of human scales, urban segregation and lack of sustainability
• EBDP selects relevant evidence, critically interprets it by assessing its quality and strength to then perform analysis and explore different options of evaluation based on the evidence
• EBDP has different types and levels of evidence, ranging from the most subjective – the way that people using a building or a public space and the most objective – the meta-analysis method with systematic reviews and experimental studies

Learning outcomes: Describe some of the learning outcomes/transversal skills within the course (you can refer to the attached document: Conceptual framework of the short-learning activities).

Who is this course for: This 90 minutes course is suitable for: a) Students with an interest in EBDP (PhD Candidates, researchers etc.) b) Professionals and experts such as urban planners who participate in the design process of city’s public spaces, public buildings, etc.

Group size: Max 15 participants

Specific Requirements if any, No GIS expertise is needed, but any basic knowledge of using the Place Syntax Toolkit (PST) will be useful Software Installation: QGIS, PST and SST plugins.