2023 winners

The CLIMANIA boardgame was co-created as a community engagement, learning and action tool in a series of seven workshops by 13 teenagers from Birmingham working with Birmingham City University researchers and urban environment professionals. The prototype was tested in community play events, revised and then produced as an open access resource. The rationale for the project and goal of the game is to inform participants and players of built environment contributions to the climate emergency and to encourage action to help mitigate and adapt to climate change through urban planning and design measures with a specific focus on retrofitting buildings.

You can see Prof Carter and Mr Shtebunaev's boardgame and other research outputs here: https://climaniathegame.com/

The Fenland Open Space Index (FOSI) is a tool created to evaluate public urban green spaces in Fenland market towns. It considers factors such as accessibility, nature, infrastructure, and amenities to quantify the quality of green spaces. FOSI aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of spaces to inform decision-making and improve the quality of life for residents. The evaluation can identify areas that need improvement and can guide future development plans to ensure adequate and suitable green spaces. The FOSI assessment can also be used to compare different market towns and identify best practices in providing quality urban green spaces.

This thesis examines the relationships between social processes and built environment practices with land tenure and how they influence vulnerability to and recovery from disasters. It aims to understand how, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the 2010 earthquake, urban designs for rebuilding physical space consider, and potentially replicate, vulnerability to disasters. Centre-ville, the historic downtown district of Port-au-Prince, exemplifies these interrelations between land tenure and post-disaster reconstruction. The findings demonstrate how land tenure influences vulnerability and the necessity for urban designers and planners to incorporate a comprehensive understanding of local methods to secure land in reconstruction plans to support recovery.

You can read and download Dr Valbrun's thesis here: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10152186/

The global publication “Designing Cities that Work for Women”, developed by Arup, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the University of Liverpool (UoL) presents key evidence on challenges and opportunities that women of different age, socio-economic background, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, experience across different global urban contexts. Drawing on primary research findings, including a global survey and international workshops, together with a review of secondary research, the report provides actionable recommendations and guidance for urban professionals on how to design and plan for cities that are more inclusive, safer, and equitable for women and in turn, for everybody.

You can read, explore, and download the research report here: https://www.arup.com/perspectives/publications/research/section/cities-alive-designing-cities-that-work-for-women

Identifying opportunities for efficiencies in the Irish planning system through a user research led analysis of the planning application process, with particular focus on unblocking barriers to housing delivery.

This research will explore whether participatory budgeting - a democratic process in which citizens decide directly how to spend part of a public budget - can advance gender equity in our cities’ sustainable transport systems, and whether this can improve the way women and gender diverse people experience and perceive them. 

Through reviewing existing research and interviewing practitioners of participatory budgeting and public-led gender inclusive transport across Europe, this project will consider the applicability of participatory budgeting for three cities in the UK with locally managed transport systems. It will develop recommendations for Government, local policy makers, and advocacy group.