Section outline
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Main Objective:
InPlaLabs aspires to develop a Transnational Network of multi-stakeholder Integrated Planning Labs for knowledge co-creation on climate-resilient planning
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InPlaLabs Consortium:
National Technical University of Athens
University of Cyprus
Commonspace
Urban Calculator
Bond of Union
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Evidence-based planning and design: integrating centrality and accessibility analysis into urban design at early stages
Short bio: Urban calculator is a research-based start-up and a spin-off from Spatial Morphology research group at Chalmers University, Sweden. Our vision is to turn evidence-based spatial analysis into an integral part of the design loop, especially at early stages of design /planning process.
Urban Calculator is an evidence-based design support tool for urban practitioners, easy and user-friendly, that can be used in different phases of the design process. During the first explorative sketches feedback is given to make informed decisions, revise the design and rerun the spatial analysis until the project’s ambitions are metDesigned to streamline planning procedures, Urban Calculator offers an intuitive interface accessible to planners, irrespective of their GIS proficiency. This tool empowers planners to conduct spatial analyses interactively, enabling informed decision-making supported by robust evidence.
Overview & aims: In its implementation, Urban Calculator focuses on assessing street centrality, encompassing pedestrian and vehicular street networks. Additionally, it examines accessibility to various destinations, such as social services and bustling urban hubs.The aim of the half day workshop is to introduce the tool to a wider audience, specifically practitioners.
The workshop objective is to demonstrate to participants how centrality and accessibility analyses can be used as a part of a design loop to quickly measure potential effects of their spatial interventions and to compare different design alternatives.
Keywords: Evidence-base design, spatial analysis, integration, space syntax, centrality, accessibility, accessible density
Information about the course instructors and partner involved:
Instructor´s Name: Evgeniya (Jane) Bobkova
Instructor´s Institution: Urban Calculator
Course Content:- Lecture on basic concepts of spatial analysis, when it comes to street centrality and accessibility, with the focus on interpretation and understanding analysis results
- Summary of the research background behind selected spatial analyses, in connection to pedestrian movement in cities and socio-economic process
- Demonstration of the tool in connection to evidence-based urban design
- Learning-by-doing design exercise, where participants are asked to test the tool themselves in order to understand the relevance of spatial analysis for early stages of design process
Learning outcomes: a) Being able to interpret space syntax centrality and accessibility analysis in connection to applied urban design, b) ntegrating spatial analysis into evidence-based urban design
Who is this course for:
This course is suitable for:
- Students with an interest in EBDP (PhD Candidates, researchers etc.)
- Professionals and experts such as urban planners who participate in the design process of city’s public spaces, public buildings, etc.
Group Size:
Max 20 participants
- 10-20 participants
- 10-12 students
- 10-12 planning and urban design experts and practitioners, preferably from various backgrounds (urban planning and design, participatory planning, transport planning etc.).
Specific Requirements, if any: Windows computers (UC is not supported by Mac), GIS expertise is not needed.
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Analytical planning-support tools for integrated urban- transport planning with pan-European open data
Short bio: Yannis Paraskevopoulos is a PhD candidate at NTUA, having experience in many research projects and international publications, specialising in urban geography, advanced spatial analysis, urban analytics, urban morphology, and integrated planning. Stefanos Tsigdinos is a post-doctoral researcher at NTUA, with experience in several research projects and international scientific publications, focusing on integrated urban and transport planning, transport geography, future mobility, transport equity, and urban geography. He is also an Adjunct Lecturer, teaching urban planning at UniWA. Ioannis Chatziioannou is a Sustainable Mobility Planner and currently a post-doctoral researcher at NTUA. He has participated in numerous research projects and has also published many papers in renowned journals. His research areas include urban planning via geotechnology, sustainable transport policies, systems theory, participatory planning methods, prospective studies, social exclusion and mitigation of transportation’s negative externalities.
When it comes to NTUA, the Sustainable mobility Unit has adopted an interdisciplinary approach specialising in multiple research fields. Specifically, the main research interests of SMU are urban planning, transport planning, sustainable mobility, urban and transport geography, transport policy and participatory planning. It should be underlined that SMU has embraced an integrated urban and transport planning rationale capable of facing urban complexity and emerging issues.
Overview & aims: This interactive course on integrated planning tools provides a comprehensive introduction to planning tools that are essential for analyzing, understanding, and changing cities from both urban and transport perspectives. In particular, the course focuses on leveraging open datasets, spatial analysis and scenario planning to formulate the foundation for effective spatial planning. Participants will be introduced to a variety of tools that facilitate a comprehensive approach, ensuring that transport and land use are seamlessly integrated. Moreover, the course will shed light on how to formulate integrated planning strategies through diverse scenarios that define different priorities, planning and design solutions.
The course’s objective is to bridge the gap between integrated planning theoretical principles and practice, through demonstrating to participants key tools for employing cohesive integrated planning solutions and strategies.
Keywords: Planning tools, Geographic Information System, integrated sustainable urban mobility, Open data, spatial analysis, space syntax
Information about the course instructors and partners involved:
Instructors´ Names: Yannis Paraskevopoulos, Stefanos Tsigdinos, Ioannis Chatziioannou
Instructors´ Institution: National Technical University of Athens
Course content: This interactive course offers a robust introduction of key planning tools and strategies, having been structured properly to transfer knowledge effectively, while inspiring participants. The main points of the course are the following:- Revisiting key integrated planning principles and implications
- Lecture on the basic concepts and characteristics of planning tools and the importance of open datasets
- Brief lecture on strategic scenario planning to support participants envision creative solutions
- Demonstration of multiple planning tools and strategies with real-life examples
- Hands-on practice, where participants will be requested to formulate their scenarios and deal with a real case study (of their preference) in Europe through an integrated planning perspective. This will help them to acquire significant practical experience.
Learning outcomes: By the end of this 135 minutes course on integrated planning tools, the following learning outcomes are expected:
- Utilise open data planning tools effectively
- Formulate strategic scenarios underpinned with integrated perspectives
- Creative thinking to planning solutions and practices
- Understand how theory could be “translated” into practice
- Teamwork and interaction with individuals coming from different disciplines and background
- Administer urban complexity
Who is this course for: The interactive course on integrated planning is suitable for:
- Students and academics with a keen interest in urban planning, transport systems and environmental sustainability
- Professional and experts dealing with urban, transport and environmental topics
- Policymakers and local administration authorities
- Other actors (such as NGO, groups, collectives) that might aspire to engage in strategic planning
Group size: Max 30 participants (physically and online):
- MSc-level planning-related students
- Planning-related professionals (practitioners + policy officers)
- Early-stage researchers or other academics interested in the subject.
Specific requirements, if any: The participants should have basic prior knowledge of Geographic Information Systems principles and software (QGIS and ArcGIS Pro). Furthermore, familiarity with statistics and simple analysis procedures will be a considerable asset.
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Short bio: The instructors are members of the team of COMMONSPACE, which is a collaborative-interdisciplinary planning and design group which has been working on participatory planning since 2012 and has been operated as a Worker Cooperative since 2017. COMMONSPACE provides high quality services in the fields of Spatial Strategies, Architecture, Social Research, Urban and Environmental Design by creating or implementing innovative tools and processes. It seeks to be a link between citizens, social institutions, and public authorities, a hub for the exchange of knowledge, ideas and practices among citizens, experts and decision-makers.
Furthermore, COMMONSPACE has created a specifically structured methodology and a set of tools regarding Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Processes and Participatory Planning.
Overview & Aims: On this interactive course you'll learn about history, theory, best practices and tools regarding participatory planning and design. The main goal is to promote and empower Participatory Planning as a design paradigm that emphasizes in the involving of citizens, local communities, local / regional / national authorities and experts as well as other stakeholders in the strategic and management processes of public spaces design, planning and management.
Keywords: Participation, Stakeholders, Governance, Democracy, Decision-making, Community Engagement
Information about the course instructors and partners involved:
Instructors´ Names: Sofia Tsadari, Dionisia Koutsi, Giorgos Velegrakis, Artemis Koumparelou
Instructors´ Institution: Commonspace
Course content: This interactive course offers a coherent overview of the subject of participatory planning and design.
The main points of the course are:
- Understanding the historical and political context in which participatory planning began and developed
- Conceptualisation and understanding of the basic principles and methodology of participatory processes
- Presentation of good practices / applied european examples
- Familiarisation with the methods and participatory planning tools
- Workshop simulation
Who is this course for: This 90 minutes course is suitable for: a) Students with an interest in participatory methodologies in Planning (PhD Candidates, researchers etc.), b) Professionals, policy makers and experts such as urban planners who participate in the design process of city’s public spaces, public buildings, etc.Group size: Max 20 participants
- 15 students
- 3-5 experts including
Specific Requirements if any, none.
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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:
Instructors’ Names: Mariam Shulqamy, Rafaela Christodoulou, Frixos Petrou, Nadia Charalambous
Instructors’ Institution: University of Cyprus (UCY)
Course content:- 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
- 10-12 students
- 3-5 experts including ALA Planning Partnership from Cyprus
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.