We are excited to announce the first TWIN2EXPAND Intensive Summer School: Enhancing the connectivity of neighbourhoods. The application of evidence-based design in master planning of linear parks, taking place at the University of Cyprus, 19 June – 3 July 2024.

Linear parks have a long history and have grown in popularity in urban areas. They may offer many benefits, such as providing more access to green spaces, lengthy protected routes for cyclists and pedestrians, opportunities for businesses and continuous greenery for biodiversity. However, they may also carry negative trade-offs, such as acting as barriers between communities if difficult to cross, or reinforcing separation between different road users, thus diminishing efforts to make the urban environment more widely human-centered.    

This summer school comprises a series of lectures and training sessions on GIS, spatial analysis, field work, space syntax methodology and integrated urban modelling. The school centers around a local case study: the Pedieos Linear Park in Nicosia, which is currently undergoing master planning efforts aimed at enhancing access to and across the park, as well as improving its infrastructure and facilities. 

We are interested in establishing a conversation with engaged stakeholders tackling the current understanding of how the park performs as green infrastructure in relation to its surrounding neighbourhoods and the whole city. At the same time, we want to gain an understanding of the potential impacts of the proposed plan and interventions to initiate a dialogue about the vision for the park and the city, the methods through which intervention proposals are developed and assessed, consideration for alternative solutions and the understanding of the social, economic and environmental impacts of design. 

Participants will apply EBDP methodologies to the case study and proposed masterplan to develop their own understanding of the park, evaluate the potential impact of the masterplan, consider and test alternative solutions. There will be direct engagement between the participants and local stakeholders in the initial and final phases of the workshop to establish a comprehensive understanding of the case study prior to analysis and to relay findings to interested parties, ensuring that the participants’ work has practical impact in the local decision-making process.  

Organization  

The Summer School is organised around activities to be held over three weeks: 

Week 1: Nicosia, 19 – 22 June 2024:  Participants will be hosted by the SURF Lab for introductory sessions on Nicosia, the case study, site visits, manipulation of Nicosia’s spatial model, analysis of the existing situation, analysis of the proposed masterplan, field work and initial proposals.  

Week 2: Nicosia,  24 – 29 June 2024:  Participants will join their choice of workshops, plenary sessions and present their papers (if applicable) at the 14th Space Syntax Symposium; they will be working in teams to further develop the assessment of the masterplan and their proposals. 

Week 3: Nicosia,  1 -3 July 2024:  Participants will finalize their work through targeted tutorials, prepare their outputs into a specified format to be included in a public exhibition hosted by UCY, and present their work to stakeholders.  

 Eligibility and commitment 

The Summer School is open to Postgraduate students, Early Career Researchers and Professionals interested in Evidence Based Design and Planning. Particular attention will be paid to applications from the EMME region. 

By applying, participants agree to attend the online training sessions organized by TWIN2EXPAND scheduled for May 22nd and 24th, 2024. These sessions, conducted by UCL and CHALMERS, will familiarize participants with QGIS and tools like SSToolkit and DepthmapX for spatial analysis. Participants will learn techniques like axial analysis and visual graph analysis, as well as how to visualize results for scenario assessment. For those unable to join live, a link to the recordings will be provided. 

Benefits 

• The school is free of charge.  
• Participants will receive a fee waiver for the 14th Space Syntax Symposium.  
• Prize for best work and Certificate of participation  

Please note: we are not able to provide financial support for transportation and accommodation. 

Application 

We invite participants to fill out this form by 12th of April, 2024. The Summer School is in-person, and the working language will be English. 

Instructors and Tutors 

• UCL: Kayvan Karimi, Gareth Simons, Sepehr Zhand 
• CHALMERS: Meta Berghauser Pont, Ioanna Stavroulaki , Ahmed Hazem Eldesoky 
• UCY: Nadia Charalambous, Ilaria Geddes, Ana Ricchiardi, Iason Ziro 

Supported by 

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101078890 and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee under grant numbers 10052856 and 10050784.