Many urban areas within the EU are experiencing obsolescence and degradation, and need to be revitalised and reimagined through approaches encompassing regeneration, re-naturalisation, decarbonisation, and humanisation of spaces. Currently, urban areas and cities serve as significant generators of big data dealing with mobility, environment, energy, demographics, infrastructure, and security. In this complex scenario, urban planners and architects encounter challenges in managing vast amounts of information and interpreting it for decision-making, with Data-Driven Urban Planning (DDU) or Data-Driven Design (DDD) representing emerging paradigms. On the other hand, recent years have witnessed an exponential surge in data-processing technology, particularly related to Artificial Intelligence. However, training in these fields primarily targets mathematicians and computer engineers, and so professionals with backgrounds from architecture, urban planning or design are left behind. Although public authorities can access and acquire city data, they often lack clarity on identifying which data are significant and how to utilise them effectively. EU funding for city regeneration and revitalization often fails to address root causes, with public authorities and urban planners frequently directing funds towards superficial issues rather than addressing the origins of the problems. One of the general objectives of the D-CITIES Master’s is to train professionals who can combine these two skills, work in groups and collaborate by understanding the methodologies and basic concepts used by the other party. It will train professionals who are able to analyse and diagnose large urban areas and will also train city designers not only in the state of the art of urban regeneration strategies but also in how to use cutting edge software technologies and manage large amounts of urban data to achieve these goals.
Many urban areas within the EU are experiencing obsolescence and degradation, and need to be revitalised and reimagined through approaches encompassing regeneration, re-naturalisation, decarbonisation, and humanisation of spaces. Currently, urban areas and cities serve as significant generators of big data dealing with mobility, environment, energy, demographics, infrastructure, and security. In this complex scenario, urban planners and architects encounter challenges in managing vast amounts of information and interpreting it for decision-making, with Data-Driven Urban Planning (DDU) or Data-Driven Design (DDD) representing emerging paradigms. On the other hand, recent years have witnessed an exponential surge in data-processing technology, particularly related to Artificial Intelligence. However, training in these fields primarily targets mathematicians and computer engineers, and so professionals with backgrounds from architecture, urban planning or design are left behind. Although public authorities can access and acquire city data, they often lack clarity on identifying which data are significant and how to utilise them effectively. EU funding for city regeneration and revitalization often fails to address root causes, with public authorities and urban planners frequently directing funds towards superficial issues rather than addressing the origins of the problems. One of the general objectives of the D-CITIES Master’s is to train professionals who can combine these two skills, work in groups and collaborate by understanding the methodologies and basic concepts used by the other party. It will train professionals who are able to analyse and diagnose large urban areas and will also train city designers not only in the state of the art of urban regeneration strategies but also in how to use cutting edge software technologies and manage large amounts of urban data to achieve these goals.