Twinning towards Research Excellence in Evidence-Based Planning and Urban Design

Research Project, 2023 – 2025

Urban planning and design will play a crucial role in adapting and preventing the effects of climate change in our future. It can lead to greener construction processes, as well as the implementation of greener technologies in urban environments. The EU-funded TWIN2EXPAND project, in collaboration with the University of Cyprus, University College London, Chalmers University of Technology and the Polytechnic University of Turin, aims to expand the horizons of evidence-based urban design and planning, while transforming the universities into fields of research excellence for its study. Research excellence in this field will help achieve EU Green Deal goals through urban planning and design.

TWIN2EXPAND will enhance research capacities in evidence-based urban design and planning (EBDP) as a field of critical importance in the R&I of integrated approaches and technologies for effective spatial planning and sustainable urban governance. The project facilitates a partnership among University of Cyprus, three leading institutions in the field (University College London; Chalmers University of Technology; Polytechnic University of Turin) and one pioneering SME practicing EBDP (Space Syntax Limited). By addressing urban sustainability, TWIN2EXPAND will contribute to achieving targets of the Cyprus Smart Specialisation Strategy, the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable Urban Development Goals. The strategic objectives of the project are to enhance research excellence and promote interdisciplinary research and networking in the EBDP field, and to make a broader impact on the scientific community and society. TWIN2EXPAND embraces the international networking ethos of the SDGs to achieve scientific excellence in the R&I of the built environment, fully embedding it within the quadruple helix by fostering collaboration with local authorities and other stakeholders. It aims to achieve a scientific and integrative approach to urban planning and governance as the entry point into effective transitioning to sustainable development. Focusing on emerging concepts and challenges in the field, the project proposes a generalised conceptual and working model of evidence-based urban design and planning. By embedding open science practices within the project’s activities, TWIN2EXPAND will make significant contributions to research excellence, scientific advances and societal progress, implementing three pathways to maximise substantive real-world impact:
i) innovative capacity-building in research management and excellence in the EBDP field;
ii) co-creation of evidence-based urban design and planning knowledge; and
iii) emphasis on translation of scientific knowledge to professional practice knowledge.