The TWIN2EXPAND consortium met in London for the working studio on research impact, known as WGSc, bringing together academics, researchers, policy makers and practitioners to discuss the mechanisms through which research labs can collaborate with and influence policy and practice. The meeting was hosted by University College London and Space Syntax Limited.
The objective of the working group was to support the implementation of stakeholder engagement, which will formally start in September 2023 through stakeholder meetings in Cyprus. By investigating pathways to achieve broader research impact, especially on decision-makers, industry, civil society and the public, WGSc aims to build UCY’s capacity in communicating and interacting with non-academic stakeholders, cooperate with industry and reach out to civil society.
During the 4-days meeting, the consortium met with members of established research labs, experts in translating evidence into policy and professionals applying evidence-based urban design and planning in their practice, including from the Petras National Centre of Excellence, Urban Design Learning, ERA-co and, of course, our partners, the UCL Space Syntax Laboratory and Space Syntax Limited.
The team had an enlightening walk in the City of London, let by Prof. Tim Stonor, looking at recent development projects and the impact that the application (or not) of EBDP has had on built projects, the form of the city and its performance.
The meeting concluded with some intensive collaborative work on the overall framework of TWIN2EXPAND, the plan for our research project starting in July 2023 and initial steps toward creating a conceptual framework for EBDP.
