DPU News http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/dpu-news/rss The Development Planning Unit conducts world-leading research and postgraduate teaching that helps to build the capacity of national governments, local authorities, NGOs, aid agencies and businesses working towards socially just and sustainable development in the global south. We are part of The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. admin 2011-07-14T11:49:35Z DPU summerLab 2013 series registration open! http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/dpu-summerlab-2013-series-news The Bartlett Development Planning Unit is happy to officially announce the launch of the DPU summerLab 2013 series . The 2013 series contains several innovations including the introduction of two Latin America destinations and our own backyard of London in addition to the consolidated initiative in Rome. This expansion is due in part to having received very generous scholarship funding support this year. Drawing on the progressive action-research ethos of the DPU in collaboration with local partners, the workshop series aims to leverage the reality of the city as a laboratory for developing socially responsive design and planning measures. It is intended to provoke, stimulate, and reconsider the role of designers and practitioners in promoting spatial justice. The workshops, geared toward students and emerging professionals, offer a vital testing ground for the proposing of contextual, hybridized spatial interventions embedded with socio-political agendas. The schedule of the DPU summerLab 2013 series is: Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-05-20T11:46:47Z Bartlett Professor of Planning receives first prize for outstanding international impact http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/fulong-wu-esrc-award Fulong Wu , Professor of Planning at The Bartlett, was awarded first prize in the Outstanding International Impact category by The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) on 14 May. He received a trophy along with £10,000 to promote the economic and social impact of research. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Brigid C B Marriott 2013-05-17T15:31:08Z DPU at Cities Methodologies 2013 http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/CM2013 The DPU will be well represented again in the upcoming Cities Methodologies 2013 exhibition presented by UCL Urban Laboratory to be held at the Slade Research Centre on UCL’s campus April 23-26.  Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-04-17T12:47:00Z Communications Internship at The Bartlett http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/comms-internship Are you interested in a career in communications? Have you got excellent written and verbal communication skills, an eye for a newsworthy story, and an interest in digital communications channels?

 The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Brigid C B Marriott 2013-04-10T15:00:36Z The Bartlett academics to play role in new UCL Centre for Nature Inspired Engineering http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/bartlett-nature-engineering The announcement of a new Centre for Nature Inspired Engineering at UCL, will bring leading engineers and scientists together to address some of the major engineering challenges facing the world. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Brigid C B Marriott 2013-03-26T10:47:37Z MSc Social Development Practice Awarded UCL Teaching Innovations Grant http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/sdp-ucl-grant The SDP programme has been awarded a Teaching Innovations grant from UCL to undertake the project entitled ‘Engaging Leaders for Social Change: An Action-Learning Platform’. The Teaching Innovations grant is designed to support projects that undertake creative and novel methods of teaching and learning. The ‘Engaging Leaders for Social Change’ project will run during the first two terms of the following academic year (2013-2014), and will be used to deepen the engagement of MSc students during the London-based exercise of their practice module. Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-03-19T15:09:09Z Robert Biel publishes his latest book, 'The Entropy of Capitalism' http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/entropy-capitalism Drawing on his experience in international systems and low-input agriculture, the book sees Biel exploring the interactions of social and physical systems. In the process he reveals the early twenty-first century as a period when capitalism starts parasitising on the chaos it itself creates, notably in the link between the two sides of imperialism: militarism (the ‘war on terror’) and speculative finance capital. The project is published by Haymarket and is part of their Studies in Critical Social Science Book Series. It is available through the Haymarket or Amazon . Robert Biel is a former lecturer in political ecology at the DPU and still very much involved with the Unit, especially through its PhD programme in which he formerly led. His early book The New Imperialism was published by Zed Books in 2000. He continues to research extensively on systems theory and has enjoyed a more recent particular focus on many facets of urban agriculture programmes. Please stay tuned for more information regarding launch events for the book... Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-03-19T11:46:15Z Publication Launch. Regeneration and Well-Being in East London: Stories from Carpenters Estate http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/carpenters-estate-2013 Photo by ©Alexandre Apsan Frediani Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-03-15T15:29:41Z The Bartlett announces £110k worth of masters scholarships http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/masters-scholarships The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment is offering MSc, MA or MArch students 20 scholarships, each worth £5,000, to be used as partial fee remittance for study in 2013/14. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Emma Todd 2013-03-04T14:40:10Z The Bartlett amongst leading academics, businesses and entrepreneurs on Mayor’s “Smart London’ board http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/smart-london The Mayor’s Office today announced the board, which is made up of ‘a top line-up of experts’ and includes Prof. Alan Penn , Dean of The Bartlett and Professor of Architectural and Urban Computing and Dr Andrew Hudson-Smith , Director and Deputy Chair of The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Emma Todd 2013-03-04T14:12:38Z Ant ballet and PhD theme tunes: The Bartlett Showoff Round Two http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/bartlett-showoff-2 Back by popular demand, The Bartlett Showoff once again took to the stage last Tuesday to showcase some of faculty’s most exciting and extrovert students, staff and research through a range of talks, songs and performances. With compere Ella Murray, a paleoanthropology PhD student from UCL’s Institute of Archaeology, CASA’s Hannah Fry (winner of the Provost’s Public Engager of the Year award), launched straight into the weird and wonderful, talking about her research on ‘Optimal Immunisation Strategies and the Mathematical Classification of Sexual Contact Networks’. The evening continued with performances from Josep Grau-Bove of the Centre for Sustainable Heritage, Prof. Michael Hebbert of BSP with songs about urban climatology and design, along with insights into the research of BSA’s Ollie Palmer and his fascinating ‘Ant Ballet’. Closing the proceedings, UCL-Energy PhD student Mike Fell helped to answer the immortal question, what is the perfect PhD theme tune? Look out for our next event in the new academic year, with our new look! The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Tatevik Sargsyan 2013-02-27T13:07:36Z DPU at the Asian Housing Rights Summit http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/ahr-summit William Hunter , DPU Teaching Fellow on the MSc Building and Urban Design in Development is currently attending and representing the DPU at the annual UPCA/ACHR/ACCA Regional Meeting being held in Bangkok from February 23-28. This joint summit is the rendezvous point for the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights and is attended by community representatives and delegates from 19 countries throughout Asia who are reporting on their involvement in ACHR’s Asian Coalition for Community Action Program (ACCA) . This fascinating event has so far seen individuals from as far reaching as the Fiji Islands to Mongolia and South Africa enthusiastically presenting their challenges and future agendas for the second implementing phase, ACCA II. What is emerging from these uniquely geographic regions and diverse communities is a shared directive focusing on community savings through the prioritised role of women, better communication within and between communities and government, and the evolving participation of community architects in the upgrading of generally informal settlements. The opportunity to share experiences and learn from the successes and failures across such a large landscape is proving to be a most beneficial time for all involved. As ACHR Secretary General asserts, the point of this movement and any appropriate development is for “the poor themselves (to) become the doers and the deliverers of solutions to the huge problems of urban poverty, land and housing.” Here in Bangkok, amongst the passion and pride, this charge seems very possible. Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-02-26T17:45:43Z EIB and The Bartlett to cooperate on new infrastructure finance course http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/EIB-and-the-bartlett The European Investment Bank and The Bartlett have agreed to work together to support a new post-graduate course in Infrastructure Investment and Finance. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Emma Todd 2013-02-26T15:06:01Z The Bartlett's Wates House to undergo a £12m refurbishment http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/wates-house-refurb Wates House, the current home of The Bartlett School of Architecture and The Bartlett School of Planning is set to undergo a £12m refurbishment, starting in July 2013. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Emma Todd 2013-02-21T12:04:59Z 4 Days in Brescia – MSc BUDD experiences the 'City of Euphemia' http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/brescia-budd-camp-2013 During a long weekend in early February, participants of the MSc Building and Urban Design (BUDD) course, along with director Camillo Boano, tutor Caroline Newton and Graduate Assistant Emily Kelling, set out again on the streets of Brescia, Italy for the 2013 BUDDcamp . The task was to develop transformative design strategies rooted in a socio-spatial understanding of the different sites and the people inhabiting them. Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-02-19T17:36:48Z DPU Alumni wins UN-Habitat Best Practice Transfer Awards http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/habitat-best-practices Ignacia Ossul (ex SDP and current PhD) and TECHO , the Valparaiso-based NGO where she was serving as Regional Director, have been recognized with the Best Practice Transfer Award from UN-Habitat for their work in the slums of Latin America. Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-02-13T13:04:48Z Celebrating Chinese New Year: A Q&A session for prospective students http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/chinese-new-year To start off the year of the snake, here at The Bartlett we are offering prospective Chinese students the opportunity to pose questions about studying and living in London to two of our current students through an online question and answer session. The Q&A will be led by students Yang Huang from The Bartlett Development Planning Unit , and Shaohua Chai from the UCL Energy Institute . Whether you have general questions about life in London or specific questions related to a particular course, this is a great opportunity to find out directly from current students who have already experienced the application process and life at The Bartlett. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Brigid C B Marriott 2013-02-13T12:13:37Z Latest UCL Built Environment Club launched in Singapore http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/bec-singapore The Director of Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Lay Bee Yap was joined by UCL Vice Provost (International) Prof Michael Worton , The Bartlett’s Prof Alexi Marmot and Chadwick Professor of Civil Engineering Nick Tyler , in welcoming guests at the recent launch of the Singapore UCL Built Environment Club. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Brigid C B Marriott 2013-02-05T14:32:54Z DPU Kick-starts Junior Professionals Programme with ACHR in Southeast Asia http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/internshipsasia This week the first class of the DPU/ACHR Junior Professionals Programme met in Bangkok along with Dr. Camillo Boano, director of the MSc Building and Urban Design and Development , and various members of the Asian Coalition of Housing Rights (ACHR), and Community Architects Network (CAN). The partnership and initiative dates back to 2010 following the first of a series of field trips to Bangkok between the BUDD and UDP courses. Under the Junior Professional Programme, six DPU Alumni were awarded 6-month paid internships to work in several countries throughout Southeast Asia. These ex-students will experience on-the-job-training supporting the advancement and use of methodologies and tools in community-driven development, specifically working with organisations and community members. To kick-off the group worked with Somsook Boonyabancha (ACHR) , Supawut Boonmahathanakorn and Chawanad Luansang (CAN coordinators) through a few days of induction, conversations and training before moving on to start their work in the areas of mapping, planning, design, management, recovery and rehabilitation of housing, land and settlement. Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-01-29T17:00:07Z First Singapore-based students graduate from MSc Facility and Environment Management http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/singapore-graduation On Friday, the first ever cohort of students to take the MSc programme in Facility and Environment Management in Singapore graduated at a ceremony hosted jointly by UCL and Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA). The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Brigid C B Marriott 2013-01-28T12:24:43Z The Bartlett spin off Space Syntax to play key role in making Glasgow a ‘city of the future’ http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/glasgow-space-syntax The Bartlett spin off company, Space Syntax , will play a major role in Glasgow’s development as a ‘city of the future’, following today’s announcement of a £24 million of government investment for the city to host the ‘Future Cities Demonstrator’ by Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts. The Glasgow ‘Future Cities Demonstrator’ aims to determine how cities in the future should function, and will address some of the city’s most pressing needs, including health, energy supply and improvements to travel infrastructure and mobility. Using research methods developed at The Bartlett to map and analyse the current condition of Glasgow’s active travel network, Space Syntax will identify and map the active and sustainable modes of transport across the city to increase the number of everyday journeys made by walking or cycling, and reduce traffic and pollution, making a significant impact on the development of ‘Active Travel’ in the city, a key component of the Scottish Government Health Programme to improve life expectancy in Scotland. Welcoming the announcement, Dean of The Bartlett and a director of Space Syntax, Professor Alan Penn said “This expresses great confidence in the city's ability to invest £24 million in a project which must deliver tangible benefits using new technologies in just under 24 months time. If Glasgow, a city with a great culture and heritage, can use new technologies to restore its former position on the world stage, then that will be a demonstrator worth having. He added, “UCL research will be playing a role to help make this a success as Space Syntax Limited are involved in the project bringing their expertise in advanced spatial analysis and simulation to bear on the challenges faced by the city” Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, which made today’s award commented:

“The global market for innovative approaches to delivering efficient, attractive and resilient cities is growing, and UK companies – supported by our world-class academic and research base – are well-positioned to exploit it. This large-scale demonstrator will show just what can be achieved by innovative use of today’s technology, and will help UK companies develop solutions and technologies for the future, for the benefit of the UK economy.” Read more about Space Syntax’s involvement in the Glasgow Future Cities Demonstrator. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Brigid C B Marriott 2013-01-25T15:07:31Z The Bartlett to play an active role in the new UCL STEM policy department http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/news/The-Bartlett-policy-department UCL recently announced the opening of a new department focussed on the interface between science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and policy, as well as an associated interdisciplinary research institute, in September 2013. The Bartlett: UCL's global faculty of the built environment. Emma Todd 2013-01-25T12:02:42Z UN-HABITAT Best Practices Award to a Building and Urban Design in Development (BUDD) Alumni http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/habitatawards Camila Cociña , BUDD alumni (2011-12)and co-founder of the Chile-based NGO Reconstruye , has been selected as one of the 100 "Best Practices" by UN-HABITAT and the Dubai Government in 2012, for the project " Network initiatives to reconstruct in a sustainable way ". Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2013-01-22T16:51:52Z DPU is recruiting: Research Associate in Mapping Urbanisation http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/job-mapping-urbanisation Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2012-12-23T16:11:06Z ESD+15 Anniversary http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/news/esd15 We have launched an interactive map of ESD alumni to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development (ESD). Planning for a socially just and sustainable development in the global south. Gynna F Millan Franco 2012-07-06T11:13:32Z