Aretian Urban Analytics and Design’s work was recently presented at the Università Iuav di Venezia (IUAV) by Francesco Rossi, professor of Mathematical Analysis, Irene Cazzaro (PhD) and Giacomo Mantelli (PhD candidate). IUAV University of Venice is a leading architecture school in Italy, founded in 1926 as the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia. Professor Francesco Rossi researches mathematical modeling of cities and evaluates the impact of urban projects. He contributed alongside Irene Cazzaro and Luca Nicoletto to organizing an exhibition on urban modeling at the university library titled dataPOIESIS. The exhibition displayed the recent Aretian research published in the book “City Science: Performance Follows Form” along with other great foundational works in urbanism and economy performed by great teams such as the MIT Senseable Cities, ETH Zürich, and the Bartlett London, among others.
For some years now, the IUAV Library Commission has been launching biannual calls through which the IUAV community can propose cultural events. The exhibition dataPOIESIS, which took place at the university library from the 22nd of January to the 3rd of February 2025, was within the framework of the C. Scarpa (Centro Superiore di Comprensione, Anticipazione e Ricerca Progettuale Applicata / Higher Centre for Understanding, Anticipation, and Applied Design Research) at IUAV University of Venice.
The exhibition investigated the use of the “graph” as a tool for modeling urban systems with the aim of anticipating, to some extent, their future evolution. The focus was on the application of such models, often inspired by morphogenetic principles and implemented through simulations using cellular automata, multi-agent systems, fractal geometry, etc., in a tradition that dates back at least to the 1970s. The objective was to explore how these tools can contribute to understanding urban dynamics and developing innovative solutions. To this end, the exhibition featured a selection of publications together with reflections and ongoing research outcomes from IUAV and other leading research centers worldwide.
Aretian’s research, as showcased in the book “City Science: Performance Follows Form”, presents an extended study of 100 urban environments and metropolitan areas throughout the World, across the 5 different continents. This study replicates in a three-dimensional manner the morphological features of cities and metropolitan areas, as well as the economic and human systems that inhabit them. This research allows us to compare and contrast - in terms of urban performance - not only the quality of the architectural and urban design characteristics and civil engineering infrastructures, but also the impact that those systems have on the quality of life of citizens. This book answers some of the most crucial questions in modern urbanism such as: to what extent are cities able to provide 15-minute city standards? How are cities able to provide and shape a prosperous knowledge economy? As well as a good and efficient intermodal mobility and transportation system? Among other important urban topics.
Buy the book here: https://actar.com/product/city-science/
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