The Project

Interdisciplinarity

In order to create an effective and reliable project from start to finish, VivaCity recognised that the project should include a wide range of disciplines. The urban environment is complex, with issues which should be addressed by a range of professionals, including urban design professionals and decision makers such as local governments and policy makers.

VivaCity also recognised the importance of consulting local communities and non-professionals who can be strongly affected by the design process. The project looked for ways in which to understand and engage with these groups in order to make these marginalised voices heard.

Case Studies

A variety of research methods were used to fully utilise these multi-disciplinary perspectives, including common case study sites, questionnaires and surveys, ethnographic studies and atmospheric data collection.

The common case study sites enabled the VivaCity2020 team to share knowledge and interact as a group with both the place and the people. These areas were Greater Manchester, Sheffield and Clerkenwell in London. The areas were chosen for their large, high density populations, along with a 24-hour environment which incorporated issues such as noise, crime, pollution and public convenience access.

Sustainable Urban Environments

VivaCity2020 was funded by the EPSRC as one of twelve research projects in the Sustainable Urban Environments (SUE) research programme. These SUE projects cover four areas: waste water and land management, transport, metrics and knowledge management, and the urban and built environment (in which VivaCity was included).

Click here for more information about the other SUE1 Projects.