Abstract
As increasingly sophisticated technologies are permeating cities, buildings and everyday life, new opportunities for the research of urban processes are emerging. New tools for the data-driven analysis of social activities now allow us to analyse cities as dynamic systems, using high-resolution or time-based methods to grasp the real complexities of urban areas.
This project will develop a series of analytical tools for urban studies, focusing on the gathering, interpretation and visualisation of urban data and processes. It will develop methods currently used by advanced researchers and data scientists into formats that can be used intuitively and critically by students at undergraduate to postgraduate level.
The project aims to introduce students to analytical processes around open-source online databases, mobile phone applications, social media data and geographic information datasets, using processes such computational analytics, machine learning and data mapping. Through the creation of simple to use software and plugins, supported by online instruction and documentation, the methods can be integrated in existing course activities across the wider Faculty of Social Science. They may also be relevant to other fields, ranging from economics to medicine, as data-driven urban analytics and data-visualisation are becoming crucial tools to operate within tomorrow’s society and practice.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
This project has produced a set of teaching and learning resources that can enhance a wide range of existing study methods around urban data. The tools introduce students to methods of data analysis and mapping, using online databases, mobile apps, social media data and geographic information systems.
Activities, process and outcomes
A ‘toolkit’ of eLearning resources was developed and published online, and these were integrated within the “Urban Design Studio II” (URBD5720) curriculum, introducing a 3-week research phase based around data-driven research tools. The toolkit helped to expand the range and depth of the students’ research, supporting new insights into the complex inner workings of cities.
Deliverables and evaluation
A website was created to host the toolkit (
http://urbandesign.ud2.arch.cuhk.edu.hk/), which is now ready to support a wide range of courses and individual research work. The toolkit contains 15 specialised micro-modules focusing on a particular tool and/or methodology.
“Before and after” student surveys collected feedback on the usefulness and knowledge gains resulting from using the toolkit, and students’ attitudes and confidence in computational tools for research and design.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
Our toolkit has been shared with students of URBD 5720 and “Urban Design Thesis” (URBD6701), as well as a parallel design studio in University of Queensland. Project staff have collected student project outcomes for future sharing of experiences.
Two full conference papers have been presented at the 2022 CAADRIA conference, and the Principal Supervisor will present the project in the Community of Practice Symposium of Education Innovation and Technology 2022.
Impact on teaching and learning
Through offering a toolkit of data-driven urban research methods to students and scholars engaged with various urban research projects, we offer academics and aspiring professionals the means to engage with contemporary practice and future challenges of increasingly digital societies. The ‘easy to use’ toolkit makes advanced urban research methods available to a wide range of learners, placing Information and Communication Technologies in the centre of a broad spectrum of specialised and interdisciplinary studies.
