UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape logo

Our holistic take on cities supports SDGs throught three approaches

Biodiversity

The lack of knowledge over biodiversity in cities contributes to the collapse of Life of Earth. Although urban environments are often seen as a threat to nature, they should also help save it. We believe compact cities reduce the need to suburbanize land, while smart design can generate rich ecosystems for flora and fauna.

Social Inclusion

Despite their great social diversity, cities still struggle to answer citizens' aspirations equally. Injustice remains embedded in public spaces and services, to the disadvantage of marginalised and dominated groups. Our work challenges the status quo by analysing the factors of exclusion and designing sustainable solutions.

Digitization

Cities play a central role in the creation of disruptive digital technologies such as artifical intelligence. As main financial and knowledge hubs, urban environments provide means and resources for their development and deployment. We look at how urban governance can create a better and safer technology for all.

Overview

20

Years
active

14

UNESCO
Studios

3

Research
axes

900

Network
partners

17

Team
members

8

Nationalities
present

How can we help you?

We are always open for exciting collaborations and partnerships that align with our mission.

We strongly believe that urban landscapes are better made together, and that interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration leads to innovative solutions for cities’ most pressing challenges.

As per our mission, we develop, transmit and valorize knowledge to the benefit of humanity and the natural environment. We are bound to do so by collaborating with researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and citizens across forms of knowledge.

We address both local and global issues, and wish to do so in many ways:

1. Research

We develop fundamental and applied research in the fields of architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, design, geography, political science and computer science.

To collaborate over research projects, big or small, don’t hesitate to reach out and tell us about your work.

2. Teaching

We teach courses in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban design & theory. This includes seminars, studios and workshops at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.

Get in touch with our team to launch collaborative courses, joint programs or exchange agreements.

3. Valorization

We advocate for greater sustainability and social inclusion in cities. To do so, we rely on various scientific, institutional and professional networks and organizations.

Let’s join forces and help out the world become a better place.

We are happy to provide science-led responses and solutions that meet your urban aspirations.

We live in troublesome time, and many organisations, big and small, face challenges like never before. Climate change, ecosystemic collapse, political feud, social inequalities and disruptive technologies require innovative solutions.

We provide assistance in various formats in accordance with the service and contract policies of the University of Montréal.

Research contracts

Research services

Consulting

Communication

We welcome graduate, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who are looking for supervision in a global and dynamic context.

We offer supervision across various research-oriented programs at the University of Montréal Faculty of Environmental Design and its three constituting departments: the School of Architecture, the School of Design and the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture.

1. MSc in Urban Planning

More details on the University of Montreal Admission Website

2. MSc in Environmental Design, option “City, Territory and Landscape Research”

More details on the University of Montreal Admission Website

3. MSc in Environmental Design, option “Design Theory”

More details on the University of Montreal Admission Website

4. PhD in Environmental Design

More details on the University of Montreal Admission Website

5. PhD in Architecture

More details on the University of Montreal Admission Website

6. Postdoctoral project in Environmental Design

More details on the University of Montreal Admission Website

We prodive various courses in urban design and theory opened to local and international students.

Since 2003, the mission of the UNESCO Chair has been to build bridges between the University of Montréal, UNESCO, their partner organizations and international stakeholders.

By providing training in a global context, the UNESCO Chair now moves towards new forms of exchanges and collaboration thought education and capacity-building.

1. MSc in Urban Design

2. Graduate course “Datathink”

3. UNESCO Studio

We welcome research and design interns

As part of our mission, we have been hosting international and local research and design interns across all fields of planning, design, social science and engineering. Here, you find some information about why do an intershinp at the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape, how to become an intern and what your internship will be like.

Support our team by supporting its mission.

By providing support to our research and teaching, you help creating better urban environments around the world.

We propose four types of funds you can support: Endowment, Thematic, Project and Nominal.

Our funds are administered according to the policies and regulations of the University of Montréal, and abide by the Laws of Québec and Canada.

To discuss your support, please contact the Chairholder directly.

  • Mohamed Amine Abbou (he/him)

    Graduate researcher

    Holder of a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Science and Technology of Oran (Algeria), the urban project for which Amine opted on during the last year of the urban planning program allowed him to be initiated to a large scale, to the metropolitan space and its stakes, exceeding the built framework he is used to as an architect. Governance, citizen participation and sustainable development are the issues on which he wanted to work on, but his country did not offer the space propice for learning, studying urban planning abroad was therefore an opportunity for him to open up to the world and allow his city to benefit from the expertise he is accumulating. The University of Montreal responded perfectly to his quest for multidisciplinarity, diversity, and innovation in terms of development.

  • Adèle Kremer (she/her)

    Graduate researcher

    After obtaining her degree in Geography/Planning at the University of Paris8, Adèle became interested in gender, identity spaces and the notion of inclusion. Within her masters in planning, option City, Territory, Landscape, she intends to use the multidisciplinary nature of the program to explore the appropriation spaces of homeless women in the urban context at night.

  • Adib Husseini (he/him)

    Graduate researcher

    During his studies in Architecture, Adib got interested in revitalizing marginalized and lost spaces by the industrial development and the mechanization of society in some cities on the coast of Lebanon, and focused on putting these public spaces back on the map, at the service of the population. Currently enrolled in a master’s degree in urban planning at the University of Montreal, he joined the team of research assistants of the UNESCO chair to study the impact of 5G on the city of Montreal.

  • Amel Gherbi-Rahal (she/her)

    Postdoctoral researcher

    Amel Gherbi-Rahal holds a doctorate in urban studies from the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS-UCS). She also holds a master’s degree in communication (UQAM). If her work focuses, among other things, on urban hospitality and the inclusion of migrants, her multidisciplinary profile has led her to experiment with various research methodologies and to intervene with several practice settings (university, municipal, civil society ).

  • Andréanne Bernard (she/her)

    Graduate researcher

    Holder of a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Montreal, Andréanne questions the social issues of urban development. She discovered an interest in inclusiveness, representation and accessibility in public spaces. Holder of a diploma in photography from the Cégep du Vieux Montréal, she wishes to understand and have contact with people through art, but also through her new field of expertise in planning. In the continuation of her studies in the master’s of planning, option city, territory, landscape, she will explore the principles of feminism and the inclusive city. She wishes to base her research on the experience of women within the city, all based on intersectionality and equality in the design and accessibility of public spaces.

  • Cassandre Chatonnier (she/her)

    Postdoctoral researcher

    After her diploma in space design from École Boulle (Paris), Cassandre moved to Quebec in 2008, where she specialized in theater scenography thanks to a bachelor’s degree in “Design For Theatre” from Concordia University. Since graduating, she has worked as a set designer, researcher and teacher. Throughout her training in interior design, Cassandre’s work was largely influenced by Architecture. She specifically became interested in the relationship of the user with the space and how it can actually come to nourish her practice as a designer. She holds a master’s degree in theater from UQAM on this subject and now has a doctorate degree in Urban Studies INRS; where she developed an interest in the relationship between indigenous performances and the appropriation of space, as well as the co-creation of a methodology to rethink urban public spaces through dance.

  • Delphine Duplain (she/her)

    Research professional

    Following her bachelors in urban planning, Delphine worked for five years in Cambodia in marine conservation, first in research and then in education. She is currently completing a master’s degree in planning and is working on the organization of the WAT UNESCO in Hanoi 2023.

  • Dieynaba Diallo (she/her)

    Undergraduate researcher

    Dieynaba is in 3rd year of software engineering at the Polytechnique of Montreal. She is interested in financial tech, business intelligence, and cybersecurity.

  • Emile Forest (he/him)

    Associate researcher

    It was while tirelessly traveling Route 132 and Highway 20, between Montreal and Bonaventure, that Emile developed a fascination for landscapes and the people who inhabit them. As soon as he can, he begins to scribble maps of these territories crossed, as much on napkins as on plywood boards.

  • Emmanuel Beaudry-Marchand (he/him)

    Research professional

    Holder of a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at the University of Quebec in Montreal (2015) and a master’s degree in environmental design from the Faculty of Environmental Design of the University of Montreal (2020), Emmanuel Beaudry-Marchand is a research professional at the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape. Previously, he had been involved as a research assistant in various research activities including the Hybridlab Design Research Laboratory at the University of Montreal followed by the Chair in Landscape and Environment of this same institution. His expertise in visual programming, photography and digital capture technologies led him to develop an interest in the psychology of environmental experience in urban settings, the development of co-ideation/creation tools and collaborative processes in design and planning. His research experience also extends to presenting novel research results in international conferences and articles.

  • Frédérique Roy (she/her)

    Graduate researcher

    Frédérique has a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Polytechnique Montréal (B.Eng.) and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in urban planning (M.Urb.) at the Université de Montréal. As part of her research project carried out at the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape, she is interested in questions of anonymity and surveillance in the context of a connected city.

  • Hugo Bérard (he/him)

    Postdoctoral researcher

    Hugo is a doctoral student at Mila (Québec Institute of Artificial Intelligence). His work, supervised by Pascal Vincent and Simon Lacoste-Julien, mainly focuses on generative models, in particular GANs which allow the generation of high quality artificial images. He is also a research assistant at the UNESCO chair in urban landscape where he works on the application of AI to urban planning issues related to inclusion. In particular, he is currently developing a tool to collect images of public spaces on the internet.

  • Leandry Jieutsa (he/him)

    Doctoral researcher

    Leandry is an urban planner by training, passionate about issues of resilient, sustainable and smart cities. Specialist in urban policies and digital urban governance, he worked on these issues in particular within UN-HABITAT for a few years. He is also the founder of Africa Innovation Network, a research-action laboratory that brings together experts from diverse and varied fields to propose sustainable and innovative solutions to the complex problems related to the urbanization of the African continent.

  • Meredith Nana Lelièvre (she/her)

    Graduate researcher

    Meredith Nana-Lelièvre is a master’s student in urban planning. Inspired by critical studies and political science, she is interested in the social issues of the practice of urban planning. Her thesis focuses on places of sociability for lesbiqueer women in Montreal. Her other research focuses on the links between demographic profiles and housing, and on the mental health of young LGBTQIA+ people.

  • Rashid Mushkani (he/him)

    Doctoral researcher

    Rashid’s research and teaching interests include the intersection of urbanization and human rights, public space and public life, principles of equity and inclusivity in urban spaces, and urban genealogy of justice. He has a multidisciplinary background in architecture, urban design, planning, and building conservation. He has taught environmental behavior and design courses in the Architecture Department of Kabul University (2017–2019).

  • Sarah Tannir (she/her)

    Graduate researcher

    Sarah earned her Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture (B.LA) from the American University of Beirut (AUB), in Lebanon. After working as a research assistant on various social projects aimed at promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), she decided to pursue her master’s degree in Environmental Design (M.Sc.A) at the University of Montreal. For her research project, developed at the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape, and with the support of OBVIA (The International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology), Sarah will explore how the rise of Artificial Intelligence in urban environments will impact citizens’ wellbeing; and most particularly their mental health. Through her study, she hopes to destigmatize the topic of mental illness in urban discourse.

  • Sheïma Shiri (she/her)

    Graduate researcher

    Holder of a bachelor’s degree in geography with a concentration in land use planning at UQÀM, Sheïma is interested in the processes of revitalization of neglected urban spaces. She is also the winner of a prize for best development project aimed at revitalizing the village core of the municipality of Pointes-aux-Trembles, as part of the Grands projets urbains course at UQÀM. Beyond urban revitalization, Sheïma has also dealt with the notion of environmental injustice and the impact of heat islands in Montreal North as part of a research work supervised by Sylvain Lefevre. Currently a master’s student in urban planning at the University of Montreal, her thesis focuses on resilient developments in the context of flood-prone areas, under the supervision of Isabelle Thomas. As part of her work at the chair, Sheïma studies the impact of the installation of 5G antennas on the island of Montreal and the effect of these installations on the urban landscape.

  • Shin Koseki (he/him)

    Chairholder

    Shin Koseki is an assistant professor at the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture of the Faculty of Environmental Design, the director and the chairholder of the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape. Trained in architecture and urban planning in Canada and Switzerland, he is interested in the integration of new technologies in planning practices, the contribution of interactive democracy to the sustainable development of territories, and the role of public space in the acquisition of knowledge and skills. His research interests include the application of artificial intelligence systems in urban design, new processes of environmental and technological governance, and urban and rural school success and failure.

  • Toumadher Ammar (she/her)

    Postdoctoral researcher

    Graduate in architecture from the National School of Architecture and Urban Planning in Tunis (2009), Doctor of Architecture from the University of CARTHAGE and the University of GRENOBLE ALPES (2017), member of the research team on ambiances (ERA_ENAU) since 2009, Independent researcher at CRESSON between 2017 and 2020, and teacher at ENAU from 2017 to 2022. Toumader’s work crosses the theories of the sensitive and of the cultural blending. She questions the impact of migratory movements in the Mediterranean on the “ambiences” and on the sensitive future of urban spaces.She also looks into different methods of characterizing the urban mainly those allocated to the approaches: sensitive, historical, and syntactic.

    • We believe urban landscapes are best made together.