theoretical framework
Collective Space Production
At co‑urban, we understand cities and social space as the complex outcome of globally connected economies, organisational structures, and socio-cultural trends. Every spatial configuration is therefore a material expression of ongoing market dynamics, past planning + design decisions, and collectively shared or at least collectively tolerated models of living. Neighbourhoods can only emerge as socio‑spatial entities when their dialectical production is balanced between market interests, decision-making processes, and the evolving desire of residents to collaborate, share resources, and shape aspects of everyday life together.
These lived spaces become catalysts for differential space, environments where shared platforms and local forms of cooperation begin to counterbalance abstract systems of dependency. Our theoretical grounding draws heavily on Henri Lefebvre’s triadic understanding of space production, yet we extend this tradition by examining how cognitive functions, imageability, and embodied decision making shape environmental behaviour. In doing so, we aim to bridge philosophical discourse with empirical insights into how people actually inhabit, interpret, and transform their surroundings.
References:
Wiedmann, F. and Salama, A. M., 2019. Mapping Lefebvre's Theory on the Production of Space to an Integrated Approach for Sustainable Urbanism. In: MICHAEL E. LEARY-OWHIN and JOHN P. MCCARTHY, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Henri Lefebvre, The City and Urban Society Routledge. 556
current explorations
The role of AI in planning + design decision making
We are currently investigating how new large language models can be utilised in planning + design decisions identifying key opportunities and threats of their application.
The syntax of spaces
Spatial configurations of neighbourhoods can be examined through their core relational structures using both mathematical models such as Space Syntax and perceptual investigations that capture how people actually experience and navigate their environments.