Be part of the transition towards brighter, better urban landscapes

A team of researchers from UdeM’s Faculty of Environmental Design has received the award for Best Paper at the international Scan24 conference. Co-authored by Dr. Toumadher Ammar, Dr. Hugo Bérard, Rashid Mushkani, Sarah Tannir, and Dr. Shin Koseki, the paper presents the results of the “AI EDI Public Space” project, which assesses the qualities of Montreal’s public spaces using responsible and inclusive AI algorithms. The Scan24 conference took place from November 6 to 8 in Tunisia, and gathered worldwide French-speaking researchers to explore new digital tools for the construction and the urban planning domains.

This exhibition is the result of a two-week workshop conducted in Phnom Penh from May 13 to 24, 2024. Originally presented at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Cambodia, it is now being recreated at the University of Montreal.

This summer, the Jardins de Métis Summer Workshop “Jardins-outils for a World in Transition” experimented with regenerative landscape architecture approaches, involving 16 students who developed “tool gardens” to support the socioecological transition. These interventions aim to improve disrupted ecologies, rethink our aesthetics of the natural world, and encourage local climate action. The 2024 edition focused on strategies combining garden art and ecological restoration in partnership with Jardins de Métis and CMētis.

The Lab component of L’ENSEMBLE (the first Quebec laboratory focused on combining densification and housing) presented its progress to Sutton’s City Council, marking a key milestone in this densification project. Over the past 12 months, the team has been actively working in the Brome-Missisquoi RCM to identify sites in five municipalities and develop concrete projects in Sutton. The next step will be a public exhibition at École d’art de Sutton to mobilize the community around non-profit housing solutions. L’ensemble plans to roll out this initiative at both the RCM and provincial levels.

At the Innovate4Cities 2024 conference, organized by Mayors4climate and UN-Habitat, the Montreal Call to Action on Cities, Climate Research, and Governance was launched. This event brings together academia, governments, civil society, and industry to accelerate climate action through stronger, more ambitious, and widespread collaboration between local, regional, and national governments. Professionals in urban development and climate change science worldwide are invited to sign this call.

The article “Comment la 5G va transformer le paysage urbain de Montréal” is available on the La Presse website. It was written by Tarek Djerafi, Associate Professor of Wireless Communication at INRS; Shin Koseki, Professor of Urban Design at the University of Montreal and Director of the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape; and Leandry Jieutsa, Doctoral Researcher in Municipal Governance of the Digital Transition at the University of Montreal.

Last month, Leandry Jieutsa, a PhD student specializing in AI governance in cities at the UNESCO Chair of Urban Landscape, was invited to give a recorded lecture as part of the “Digital Urban Lecture” series organized by the Cityscience.lab Hamburg. During the lecture, “AI Governance: What Stake for Cities?”, he delves into the crucial topic of AI governance and its implications for urban areas.

Last week was Emmanuel’s final week at the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape. Emmanuel had been a research professional at the UNESCO Chair for four years. He developed the Nplex web platform, which aims to showcase exemplary residential and construction projects in Montreal. He was also the go-to person for all IT and logistical issues. He helped us a lot!

Throwback to the closing ceremony of the UNESCO Studio 2024 Workshop, which took place last May at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh.

Shin Koseki was invited to speak at the Jardins de Métis for the inauguration of the International Garden Festival, which took place from June 21 to 23. Koseki gave a lecture on the “Right to the River”, discussing the social, environmental, and economic issues facing the world’s major rivers, including the St. Lawrence, the Mekong, and the Mississippi. This invitation took place as part of the festivities for the 25th anniversary of the festival, and gathered, in addition to the winners of the international garden competition, a delegation from the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, landscape architects and architects, as well as people from indigenous communities.

The 14th edition of the UNESCO studio will take place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from May 13 to 24, 2024.

Congratulations to Rashid Mushkani, doctoral student at the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape, for his two scholarships.

Shin Koseki receives funding for an international and intersectorial collaboration on the digital and ecological transition. With the support of the G3 program, the holder of the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape will develop a series of international workshops and summer schools on this pressing topic.

A new working report on digital governance in cities derived from the Chair’s series of online seminar Insights Into.