Brunnshög is a vibrant real-world testbed in Lund for sustainable solutions involving transport and mobility, energy and climate, ecological services and nature-based solutions, circular and sharing economies, housing and public space, and more. Today, we had a roundtable discussion at the public library about the opportunities and challenges of innovating in real world environments. Thanks to Eva Dalman, Markus Paulsson, Tobias Hey and Roger Hildingsson for serving as panellists!
How can researchers engage with stakeholders through sustainable urban research projects? I participated today in a lively roundtable discussion with Ivette Arroyo, Kes McCormick, Lena Neij and Ida Sandström on the trials and tribulations of co-creating and co-designing with diverse research teams. This is part of a larger examination of transdisciplinary research practices that Ida and I are undertaking in the Urban Arena Testbeds project. Stay tuned for more findings!
How will older people and other vulnerable populations adapt to hotter conditions in cities? I discussed this topic today with colleagues at the Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environments (CASE) at Lund University. We explored ideas about heat mitigation and heat management that involve upgrades to the existing housing stock, the development of public spaces for heat relief, and the adoption of individual and collective strategies to keep cool. We took inspiration from a current Swedish project, HEAT: Heat stress in outdoor environments: Planning the city of older adults today and in a future warmer climate.
How can communities develop more effective approaches to flood management? I published a new article with Jeremy Carter and Amanda Winter in Environmental Policy and Governance about the opportunities and challenges in developing a catchment-scale approach to Natural Flood Management. Our findings from activities in the River Irwell in Greater Manchester Region show that a strong evidence base, dedicated funding, and strategic governance approaches are needed to reduce downstream flooding impacts. This research is part of the Peri-cene project that examined climate hazards and responses in the urban hinterlands in the UK and India.
I co-edited a special issue of Construction Management and Economics with Craig Thomson and Tina Karrbom Gustavsson on ‘Grand Challenges Facing Our Cities’. The collection includes five articles that explore the synergies and tensions between construction management and urban studies scholarship. Thanks to all of the contributors for their insights!
I published a review of Hannah Star Rogers’ MIT Press monograph Art, Science and the Politics of Knowledge on the LSE Review of Books website. In the book, Rogers describes the multiple overlaps between artistic and scientific knowledge production and provides intriguing examples of how artists and scientists can collaborate in creative and productive ways. An inspiring book!
I contributed an afterword to a new special issue in Territories, Politics, Governance on regional water infrastructure governance edited by Michael R. Glass, Jen Nelles & Jean-Paul D. Addie. They curated a wonderful collection of articles with new insights on how hydrologic flows and regions co-evolve. Great stuff!
The EmbedterLabs team met in Maastricht for a few days to discuss our recent research accomplishments and to strategise for 2024. Jake Wiersma (second from left) led us on a guided tour of the city centre and showed us some examples of mobility transitions over the last few decades. Thanks to Denver Nixon, Anique Hommels, and Marc Dijk for hosting us!
I co-edited a new book on Artificial Intelligence and Cities with Federico Cugurullo, Federico Caprotti, Matthew Cook, Simon Marvin, and Pauline McGuirk. The book includes 20 chapters on autonomous vehicles, urban robots, city brains and urban platforms, and urban software agents and algorithms.
I published a new article in Urban Studies on artificial intelligence and cities with Federico Cugurullo, Federico Caprotti, Matthew Cook, Pauline McGuirk, and Simon Marvin. We examine how AI is influencing the development of cities and conversely, how cities are influencing the development of AI. The article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980231203386
Andrew Karvonen 