ESRC Strategic Network: Data and Cities as Complex Adaptive Systems (2015 – 2017)
The ESRC Strategic Network: Data and Cities as Complex Adaptive Systems (DACAS) seeks to promote a more holistic approach through the integration of a wide range of data sources. By bringing together an international group of researchers from a range of different fields, the project supports the development of an innovative and cross-disciplinary set of tools to gather and interpret emerging data sources. The findings will benefits policy-makers, academics and other actors seeking to develop evidence-based responses to urban issues through the use of open data sources.
Principal Investigator: Deljana Iossifova
Co-Investigators: Ulysses Sengupta, Murilo da Silva Baptista, Christopher Doll, Alexandros Gasparatos, Roberto Kraenkel, Nir Oren
Partners: Panagiotis Angeloudis, Shidan Cheng, Daniel Graham, Robert Hyde, Jun Luo
Non-academic Partner Organisations: Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, Future Cities Catapult, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Royal Institute of British Architects
Funding: Economic and Social Sciences Research Council
More: www.dacas.complexurban.com
The Network strategically connects 12 individuals with backgrounds in the social and natural sciences for 12 months. Three events and one summer school (targeting specifically PhD and Early Career Researchers) will facilitate face-to-face discussion between all Network participants. They will discuss discipline-specific methods for data analysis, protocols for the modelling of complex systems and tools under development using open urban data. DACAS members will contribute their specialist knowledge and case studies, where appropriate.
Event 1: Data and Cities as Complex Adaptive Systems, Strategic Network Launch: Presentation and discussion of interdisciplinary methods for the analysis of soft and hard urban data sets. Roundtables and workshops with user group representatives serve the identification of user needs and the co-creation of DACAS research agenda elements
Event 2: Modelling Urban Systems, Workshop: Techniques for modelling linked urban systems based on data. Identification of needs of local government, planning departments and NGO representatives. How can the challenges surrounding urban informality in developing contexts be addressed using digital tools?
Event 3: Understanding Urban Transformations through Data, Summer School:Cutting edge theoretical and methodological questions around data and cities as complex adaptive systems. Lectures, workshops and other training activities on data analysis, urban systems modelling and technological applications.
Event 4: Digital Tools for Urban Challenges, Workshop: Application of interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks and modelling techniques to the design of digital tools that reflect urban complexity and aid policy makers and practitioners. How can digital tools be improved to meet the needs of planning policy and design with special emphasis on the context of rapidly urbanising China?
Tags: cities, complex, complexity, future, metabolism, networks, science, smart cities, systems, theory, urban, urbanism
