Sustainable Cities

Background

Cities have been in continuous existence for over 8000 years. In recent years and for the first time in human history, more people live in cities than in rural areas. The school of engineering strongly believes that the evolving nature of cities is and will be a critical research area.

Research

The school is in a perfect position to leverage its cross-discipline architecture and achieve success in cities research. The Cities expertise can be divided into two sub-groups:

1) Sustainable Cities: how can cities grow in a sustainable way?

2) Smart Cities: how can information communication technologies (ICT) help cities better understand the underlying mechanisms and operational performances?

The research integrates, enhances, and expands our current research strengths in the following areas:

structures, materials, geotechnics and tunnelling
bio- and chemical-sensors, smart noses
smart grids, energy storage and harvesting
wireless networks, pattern recognition
psychological well-being and architecture

Our researchers work collaboratively across disciplines to address the future challenges of the sustainable city, drawing upon expertise in all these areas.

Relationships

University of Warwick: Sustainable Cities GRP

The Global Research Priorities (GRP) seeks to apply research to global challenges, focusing Warwick’s world-class, multidisciplinary research on key areas of international significance, by bringing together scholarly expertise from across faculties and departments. The School of Engineering is a key player in the Sustainable Cities GRP, with Prof. Ian Guymer acting as co-lead for the GRP.

New York City: Centre for Urban Science and Progress

The Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) was envisaged by ex-mayor Bloomberg of New York City. It is an applied science research institute which will be a partnership of top institutions from around the globe, led by NYU with a consortium of world-class universities including: The University of Warwick, Carnegie Mellon University, The Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay, and The University of Toronto. More details of Warwick's involvement can be found here. Warwick also has strong links with Mumbai's sister institution: Centre for Urban Science and Engineering (C-USE

Warwick Institute for Science of Cities

The Warwick Institute for Science of Cities (WISC) is setup at the heart of Warwick University to provide a platform for cross-faculty research and doctoral training. It holds a newly awarded £3.7 million EPSRC centre for doctoral training (CDT), which will run from 2014 to 2023. It works closely with a large number of industrial partners and academic institutions.

Research Project Examples

This section lists some of the ground-breaking research in cities recently conducted at the School of Engineering. It is not an exhaustive list, but it demonstrates what can be achieved:

Human Interaction with Structures

Examining the dynamics of human interaction with foot-bridges and other structures using visual pattern recognition and advanced modeling. The goal is to achieve real-time crowd control strategies based on measurements. Lead Investigators: Dr. Stana Zivanovic and Dr. Tardi Tjahjadi Area: Civil Engineering

Molecular Communication Link for Health Monitoring

Using chemical molecules to transport encoded general information across free-space, to challenge radio-wave technologies in hostile urban environments (high noise, poor propagation, microscopic scenarios). Lead Investigators: Dr. Weisi Guo and Dr. Irwanda Laory Area: ICT, Civil Engineering

Effect of Vegetation on Storm Water Flow

Storm water runoff typically contains and transports a wide range of pollutants, resulting in negative environmental effects with potential threats to ecosystems and health. Vegetation can have either a positive or negative role in water quality treatment within stormwater ponds. This proposal seeks to better understand and quantify the physical, vegetation-driven, flow mechanisms occurring within a stormwater pond and to develop a robust physically based modelling tool. Lead Investigator: Prof. Ian Guymer Area: Water Engineering

Sensing Emotions in Cities

Investigate how our moods change as we experience different physical and digital environments in a city. This is a highly cross-discipline project that is due to take place in collaboration with New York City agencies, CUSP, NYU, and with funding from Warwick University and IBM. Lead Investigators: Dr. Maria Liakata (Computer Science) and Dr. Weisi Guo Area: Built Environment, ICT, Well-being & Health

Contact

For further information on the Sustainable Cities theme, please contact co-leads in Engineering:

Professor Ian Guymer (Background: Civil Engineering)
Email:I dot Guymer at warwick dot ac dot uk

Dr. Weisi Guo (Background: ICT)
Email:Weisi dot Guo at warwick dot ac dot uk

Taught and Research Degrees

Do you want to be the leader in the next generation of engineers, civil servants, or consultants? We envisage that a wide range of skills is needed to lead the future, and that is why we recommend our MSc and PhD programs, which are cross-discipline in theme and cutting-edge in research.

For more information, please visit here.