Rand Hamdallah and Jonie Agas, have been awarded the 3^rd Prize in the Tactical Urbanism NOW! IV international design competition in Milan. They write:

Our proposal was inspired by our winter experience in Finland. It’s a privilege to apply the urbanism strategies we learned in MUrCS on an international platform, which is why we also share this success to our professors who imparted your knowledge to us.

Here is a short project description about our entry (click images to open and enlarge):

The Nordic region’s extensive winter significantly reduces outdoor activities and community engagement for nearly half the year. Located in Lahti, Finland, the DeFROST initiative reimagines urban winters by transforming Pikku-Vesijärvi Park into an engaging space during these cold months.

While thriving as a recreational oasis in the summer, the park remains largely dormant and underutilized from September to May due to prolonged snow cover. The area’s significant immigrant population also adds diversity to the challenge of enhancing community connection and integration.

DeFROST rejuvenates urban life during the long winter months by leveraging thermogenesis, the body’s natural response to physical movement. This process helps maintain internal body temperature, making outdoor environments more bearable during the extended winters.

Activity-filled cubes, interconnected by a walkway, encourage urban interaction. Signage placed every 2 kilometers along the walkway helps visitors monitor their warmth gain, based on the average time needed to increase body temperature by 1°C during a 25-minute walk at a moderate pace.

The cubes are thematic, divided into three categories: social, environmental, and leisure. Social cubes focus on language, music, art, culture, and self-expression; environmental cubes emphasize recycling; and leisure cubes provide spaces for exercise, games, relaxation, and meditation. Each cube features a modular system designed for easy detachment, relocation, and customization according to user requirements.

The design strategy is incremental, starting with a test phase in the park to assess impact and adapt based on community feedback. With a successful pilot, DeFROST aims to scale up, expanding to other Nordic cities.

Tactical Urbanism Now IV Results

On International Forest Day and World Water Day, two MUrCS students Sawn Yee Tun Lwin and Ankur Negi had the opportunity to participate in the NBS EduWORLD Hackathon: Unleashing Nature-Based Solutions for climate and biodiversity. The 2-day virtual hackathon held on 21^st and 22^nd March, 2024 was organized in a gamified, interactive online workspace by NBS EduWORLD, ICLEI Europe, and Natural Solutions. The team comprising Swan, Ankur and a third participant won the hackathon for their case study! They will now be travelling to Brussels to showcase their work later this year at the NetworkNature Annual Event to be held on 25^th of September, 2024.

Their challenge was to develop an NBS solution for a real-world environmental case study set in the City of Belgrade, Serbia. They decided to tackle the issue of preserving the naturally valuable wetland areas and its vibrant biodiversity from urbanization and land-use conversion and/or illegal usurpation. The proposed approach was a gentle one – like urban acupuncture, the team identified strategically targeted spatial planning interventions and policies to enhance nature-based social and economic value while protecting the natural area as a whole.

It was a terrific experience with informative sessions and fun interactions with experts from all over Europe.

Maiha Hameed (MUrCS 2023, Intake 4) recently published an article on urban heat risk in Male, the capital city of Maldives.  Maiha currently works with environmental policy and planning at the Ministry and takes an interest in issues linking the built environment to air quality, human health and climate change.

Concrete, Canopy and Boiling Cities

Last updated on April 11th, 2024

On December 18 we conducted a workshop with three potential employers, and with input from three recent graduates on their experience of post-MUrCS work.

Workshop video _{^{(1h 34m)}}

Last updated on April 11th, 2024

MUrCS students undertaking the ‘Problem-Based Learning in Urban Climate and Sustainability’ (PLUCS) module visited the local College of Architects in Huelva, Spain to understand the groupwork task more in-depth.

El Colegio de Arquitectos organiza una ruta para estudiantes erasmus

Last updated on April 11th, 2024

MUrCS Intake 6 students commenced their studies in Glasgow on 18 September 2023.  As part of the Induction Programme, students visited several regeneration areas and active travel sites.

Last updated on April 11th, 2024

MUrCS Intake 4 celebrated the end of their study programme with a Thesis Show on 19 September 2023.  The Thesis Show highlighted student thesis research achievements in the form of posters of student work. MUrCS staff, Industry partners, current and past students attended the event.