Urban Design

The Urban Design section has a long tradition of research. This research is concerned with the design of the physical form of existing urban areas and their future adaptations due to processes of urban transformation. The research focus is on the complex relationships between urban form, land-use, social processes, health objectives and climate challenges and addresses topics like adaptation, sustainable development, resilience and livability. The Urban Design section has expertise in spatial analysis in the different spatial scales of the region, city and neighbourhood and focuses on the evaluation of the built environment, e.g. the performance and quality of urban space, including the relationship of architecture and open space and the spatial organisation of public and private space.

Urban Design develops innovative concepts and approaches for urban analysis and design, acknowledging contextual and functional changes that call for a rethinking of theory and methods in Urban Design. Recent developments in technology and requirements due to the environmental act are driving forces for research topics and development of design methods, resulting in a strong engagement in cross-sectional topics as Delta Urbanism, 1 Million Homes and Urban Modelling. Topics deriving from this also include the accommodation of future urban growth through intensification and densification and its implication for redesign in respect to sustainable settlement development.