Built Environment: example of Urban Design

Built Environment Research

According to the WHO, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas across the globe. Urban areas are important for human interaction, social well-being and economic vitality. At the same time, we are facing many challenges, such as affordable housing, accessibility, mobility, sustainability, and unbalanced quality of living environments.

Our research focuses on adjusting the built environment to meet contemporary challenges. We match societal trends with data and information, to be able to develop suitable spatial plans and innovations in an integrated context.

The built environment is usually fixed and not flexible. Buildings and infrastructure are planned to last for decades or longer. At the same time, society is changing. We are connected globally, and human activities are not always bound to places. We share information and services. Traditional governance structures are under pressure, because planning and innovations can be initiated by a large variety of stakeholders. However, not everyone in society benefits from these innovations, leaving social and digital gaps.

The research and innovation within our Built Environment domain focus: