From Vision to Verification: Data-Driven Methods for Innovative Planning in Municipal Practice

Research Project, 2026 – 2029

The project, “From Vision to Verification: Data-Driven Methods for Innovative Planning in Municipal Practice”, brings together researchers and practitioners to develop new approaches for evidence-based urban planning and continuous evaluation of planning outcomes.

The project is carried out in collaboration with the City of Gothenburg, Chalmers Fastigheter and Chalmers Next Labs, with Lindholmen in Gothenburg serving as a testbed. The project will focus on the development plan that Chalmers Fastigheter is carrying out together with the City for the central part of Lindholmen.

Urban development projects are often guided by ambitious goals related to urban life, sustainable mobility, and public health. However, there are still limited systematic methods for assessing whether these goals are actually achieved once urban environments have been built. The project addresses this challenge by developing a new approach to urban planning in which data on how cities function is collected to validate and improve digital models capable of simulating outcomes and supporting planning decisions.

A central ambition is to better connect planning goals and physical interventions with how urban environments are actually used over time. Through a coherent, data-driven planning process, the project strengthens evidence-based planning, contributes to reducing siloed practices, and ultimately supports the transition toward more walkable, sustainable, and resilient cities.