Statement of Research
Research Area and Approach:
My primary research focuses on the intersection of urban informatics, data-driven innovations, and social sustainability. With the advent of Industry 4.0, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), and the integration of cloud computing in smart city planning, there is a growing need for robust infrastructure and novel approaches in architecture and urban studies. My research addresses both the challenges and possibilities presented by data-driven societies.
In response to the second digital turn and the transformative impact of digital processes on design thinking, my work delves into the affordances of data. Concurrently, digital economies such as blockchain provide a democratic platform for value exchange, spanning monetary and immaterial realms. To navigate these shifts, my research establishes new approaches that tackle real-world design issues, emphasizing transparency, trust, and ethical considerations.
I employ in-situ investigation, data analysis, and the customization of design narratives through digital tools, employing a triangulation of methods. Implementing top-down, bottom-up, and practice-led strategies, I engage in a design scenario with and for people. The interconnectivity between individuals, designers, and stakeholders is paramount, emphasizing a multi-stage problem-solving process through user-cantered design schemes (UCD).
Research History:
During my PhD, I explored diverse data sources related to the built environment and urban matrix, analysing geo-tagged public and online data streams. Drawing on biosemiotics, I theoretically justified these data streams as sign systems, viewing the city as a living organism engaged in constant self-regulation and adaptation. I incorporated theories from the real-time city by Carlo Ratti and ongoing projects like the future cities Glasgow by Rob Kitchin and the Edinburgh Living Lab.
My doctoral research addressed the nuances of big data and thick data, examining the constraints and possibilities of data-driven strategies in urban contexts. My main focus was on defining new design thinking methods using data-layering/mapping to inform semi-autonomous spatial units that are sustainable, responsive, and integrated with digital societies. This led to the development of a system of habitation units, addressing real-world concerns related to mobility and migration.
I successfully tested my methods by supervising a unit, developing a design brief for a Master's course, and tutoring groups in courses like Design with Data. These experiences allowed me to refine my approach, emphasizing narrative articulation and prototyping, and showcased the potential of data repositories in design.
In other projects, I organized workshops such as 3D Blockchain and DataVisFest, providing insights into communicating data representations with the public and data holders. These initiatives effectively bridged the gap between data holders, designers, and the public.
Future Research Directions:
Looking ahead, my research will span interconnected areas of decentralized and distributed network systems within smart and sustainable cities. Collaborative events will be a key focus, involving academia, public sectors, and city authorities to address dimensions, constraints, and possibilities related to data, smart cities, and future societies.
My immediate plans include:
Identifying data sources, stakeholders, and users in smart city schemes, focusing on education, public transportation, and short-term accommodation in Edinburgh.
Developing interdisciplinary collaborations and practice-led methods to document and stage the design process, with a focus on workshops and activities between design researchers, stakeholders, and the public.
Addressing ethical, social, political, reliability, and technical concerns around data to establish new methods and approaches for future designers and researchers in architecture and urban studies.
Tackling social and environmental sustainability in designing with geo-tagged data and real-time information from the community and governmental resources.
Further developing insights in the interdisciplinary area of networks and the system of scales, ranging from transport networks to social interaction networks and biological signal networks.
[1] https://dmsp.digital.eca.ed.ac.uk/blog/mobilelivingunits2018/