The Urban Design Lab research on cognitive mapping and urban social media was on display in a poster session at the annual Columbia Data Science Day on April 5th, 2017. The work correlates new mapping techniques for health and well-being with normative GIS-based data. This research is made in collaboration with the Columbia Institute for… read more

Richard Plunz spoke: on December 13th at the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, on “The Urban Project,” together with the celebration of the work of Marcel Smets, former Flemish State Architect and Professor Emeritus of Urban Design at the Katholike Universiteit Leuven; and at the University of Ghent about new… read more

2016 was an important year for the Urban Design Lab. Plunz spoke publicly at many events on new research directions in “Next Generation Public Space/Social Media Interfaces,” highlighting Urban Design Lab work on green infrastructure innovation in New York City, such as the 13th Annual Architecture Week of the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos in Madrid in October…. read more

In November 2016 Richard Plunz published the revised edition of his book, A History of Housing in New York City (A History of Housing in New York City, Columbia University Press, revised edition, 2016). The book traces New York’s housing development history from 1850 to the present through text and over 300 illustrations. Plunz examines the housing of all classes, the… read more

On December 8th the Urban Design Lab celebrated 10 years of research pushing the frontiers of urban innovation and interdisciplinary boundaries. There was acknowledgment of meaningful partnerships all over the world, and optimism about further collaborations. In a festive and warm atmosphere colleagues and partners from various professional backgrounds came together at Steelcase on Columbus… read more

On Friday April 17th, 2015, the Urban Design Lab (UDL) at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, along with the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) hosted a lecture on the Progress of the South Korea Low Carbon City Project by Dr Seiyong Kim, Director of the Low Carbon City Research Project, Professor of Architecture… read more

The Urban Design Lab (UDL) at Columbia University’s Earth Institute is pleased to announce the release of “Spatial Strategies for Manyatta: Designing for Growth”, a collaboration between UDL, the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), and the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI). This publication proposes innovative solutions to some of the most complex and pressing… read more

This report projects future development scenarios for New Rochelle, New York, within the context of the New York City and Long Island Sound regions. Exploring a diversity of possibilities, the report’s overriding concern engages ecological considerations related to New Rochelle’s unique position as a transportation hub on the edge of the most urbanized estuary in… read more