The University of Warwick, King’s College London, and New York University (NYU), have signed an agreement to establish a London Centre for Urban Science and Progress at Bush House, part of King’s Strand campus, from 2017.

London will be the first city to build upon the success of CUSP in New York City, which was launched in April 2012 by Mayor Bloomberg and of which Warwick is an academic partner. In developing CUSP London, the partners will benefit from the experience in New York City, where CUSP is now established as a leader in the new field of urban science and informatics.

CUSP London will bring together researchers, businesses, local authorities and government agencies to apply urban science to improving public health and wellbeing. It will draw on the real experience and ‘big data’ available in cities, thereby using the cities themselves as living laboratories to tackle their most significant issues. CUSP London will complement the MedCity initiative which the GLA recently launched with King’s and other academic partners, and the Mayor of London’s Smart London plan.

Experts at CUSP London will use data to develop deeper understanding and practical solutions to a wide range of challenges affecting people’s everyday lives. The international partnership will also train a new generation of postgraduate and PhD level urban scientists with the skills and knowledge to benefit London and other major UK and global cities.

The partners will shortly be advertising the post of Director of CUSP London.

Professor Edward Byrne AC, President and Principal of King’s, commented: ‘We are delighted to have signed an agreement with NYU and Warwick to take forward this exciting initiative and to host the second Centre for Urban Sciences and Progress at our campus in central London. All three university partners share a desire to tackle the increasingly complex challenges facing major global cities and CUSP London will help us to achieve this.’

Professor Nigel Thrift, Vice-Chancellor of Warwick added: ‘I welcome the launch of CUSP London, both as a researcher of the dynamics of cities, and as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick which is a partner both in the CUSP London initiative and the original CUSP in New York. CUSP London will be a significant engine of applied urban science research, innovation and education that will work with London as a living laboratory applying research to the needs of our capital and to other great cities.’

Steve Koonin, Director of New York University’s Center for Urban Science & Progress, said: “We are delighted to welcome London to the CUSP family. We are honored by their strong support of our work and the steps taken to build on our successes in New York City. Our New York team stands ready to work with Kings College and the University of Warwick as the CUSP model is expanded abroad”

24 November 2015

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Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Policy, University of Warwick

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