GURU Theme: Urban Design and Human Flourishing

We aim explore how built environments can influence people’s lives in both positive and negative ways. The research explores how we can design, adapt, and maintain resilient places. Notably, places which allow people to live rich, fulfilling, purposeful lives through urban design and human flourishing.

Here, we place a great deal of focus on how we can improve people’s homes, schools, places of work, and public buildings.

We first look at public spaces, streets and squares. Then, we focus on the needs and aspirations of the people that use them. After, we explore green infrastructure and how it can deliver social, health and environmental benefits. 

Life stages also interest us, but we have particular interest in the concepts of age-friendly cities. We want to ensure that people canto flourish at all life stages, including later life.

Theme lead: Professor Tim Townshend