The School of Architecture + Cities is a research active school and generates a large proportion of the University’s research income. In March 2021 we submitted the work of 77 researchers, amounting to 159 outputs and 5 impact case studies to Unit of Assessment 13 of the Research Excellence Framework (REF). This was the highest number submitted by any school in the University. Results of this exercise, which ranks our research outputs, research impact and research environment against those of our peers in the UK, will be released in 2022.
Since completing our submission to the REF, staff and PhD researchers in the school have been reorganised into ve thematically-driven research groups and three research centres, with an additional research centre being established. These groups and centres, detailed on the next page, aim to provide a supportive environment for researchers, facilitate new research collaborations and knowledge exchange activities and increase research income and output.
For further details about our research groups, visit:
https://www.westminster.ac.uk/research
Lindsay Bremner, SA+C Research Director
Research Groups
Architectural Humanities
Founded on humanities-based methods, and including interdisciplinary arts and social science approaches to research, members of the Architectural Humanities Research Group address contemporary critical questions about architecture and its contexts.
Convened by Kate Jordan and Davide Deriu.
Emerging Territories
The Emerging Territories Research Group focuses on societal and environmental challenges faced by cities and territories in relationship to evolving notions of sustainability and resilience, looking particularly at climate change, effective governance, diversity and social inclusion.
Convened by Krystallia Kamvasinou and Giulio Verdini.
Making and Practice
The Making and Practice Research Group brings together design practitioners who demonstrably innovate in their eld, with academics and teachers who study and use design methods and processes within their research.
Convened by Paolo Zaide and John Zhang.
Place and Experience
The Place and Experience Research Group focuses on tourism and events research with specialisms in city tourism and mega events, the tourist and destination community experiences, and sustainability.
Convened by Stroma Cole and Ilaria Pappalepore.
Transport and Mobilities
The Transport and Mobilities Research Group covers a diverse range of aspects of transport and mobility, including city mobilities, active travel, freight, infrastructure investment, networks, accessibility and transport equity.
Convened by Gerald Gurtner and Enrica Papa.
In addition to these five groups, the school hosts the Active Travel Academy led by Rachel Aldred, the Max Lock Centre led byTony Lloyd-Jones, and ProBE, led by Christine Wall and Linda Clarke, a joint initiative between the School of Architecture and Cities and the Westminster Business School. Additionally, Andrew Cook is in the process of establishing an Air Traffic Management Research Centre.
Research projects:
- Monsoon Assemblages
- Falling Away – Catherine Yass at Ambika P3
- Water Insecurity and Gender-based Violence: A comparative study of Indonesian and Peruvian women
- Experimenting with City Streets to Transform Urban Mobility (EX-T)
- Understanding the impacts of station closures on Londoners’ travel during the pandemic is essential for policy-makers and planners
- (2020) Green Space use for People’s Wellbeing During COVID-19; (2021) Adaptation of the Public Realm to COVID-19 and the Impact on Future Planning and Design of Sustainable and Healthy Cities
- Climate Urbanism in the Post-Pandemic World. e case of East London
- Building it Green – Learning from good practice examples in Europe