Inplalabs

📘 New InPlaLabs Open Educational Material now available

We’re excited to share a new InPlaLabs Open Educational Resource:
“Annotating key concepts of integrated spatial planning – Our contribution to the evolving dialogue on integrated planning” led by Sustainable Mobility Unit, Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab, and Commonspace Co-op
Available here for download: https://helios.ntua.gr/pluginfile.php/326983/mod_folder/content/0/Key%20concepts%20for%20integrated%20planning%20discourse.pdf?

This collection critically examines key concepts shaping contemporary integrated planning and public space discourse, as used across both professional practice and academic research.

🧠 The concepts explored include:
Integrated spatial planning, urban sustainability, spatial & mobility justice, transport equity, accessibility and the 15-minute city, data-driven planning, inclusive planning, co-creation, urban health, and green & digital skills.

Rather than offering a simple glossary, the material is designed for a more advanced audience. Each concept is approached through:
• its mainstream or commonly accepted definition
• key debates, critiques, and contested meanings in the literature
• reflections on how the concept is applied (and sometimes misapplied) in planning practice
• carefully curated references for deeper reading

✨ The aim is not to fix definitions, but to open them up — encouraging planners, researchers, and students to engage critically with the terms they use, question assumptions, and understand how concepts evolve across contexts and power relations.
📚 Part of the broader InPlaLabs Open Educational Resources, supporting reflective, evidence-informed, and socially aware integrated planning education.



Sustainable Mobility Unit
Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Commonspace Co-op
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

🎓 More student project work from the InPlaLabs Knowledge Sharing Workshops

As the year comes to a close 🎄, we’re happy to share another set of student projects, this time from the NTUA Integrated Planning Lab, developed during the final days of the semester, led by Sustainable Mobility Unit and supported by Commonspace Co-op

Student teams worked on a 15-minute city challenge for Athens, creating strategic proposals that bring together proximity and connectivity at the neighbourhood scale. Starting from their own planning vision and priorities, they analysed urban form patterns (density, functional mix, network centrality) and developed scenario-based strategies that link analysis with action.
🧠 The exercise encouraged students to connect vision, evidence, and spatial interventions, while reflecting on trade-offs, feasibility, and how local strategies could contribute to a broader Athens-wide approach.
✨ A fitting way to wrap up the year — highlighting how integrated planning education fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and people-centred urban solutions.
Warm holiday wishes and best wishes for the year ahead!

Sustainable Mobility Unit
Commonspace Co-op
Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

🎓 Project work from the InPlaLabs Knowledge Sharing Workshops

During the InPlaLabs summer course led by the Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab, participants worked on a real urban challenge: rethinking parts of the Pedieos Green Linear Park in Nicosia through an integrated planning perspective.

The participants identified a gap or weakness in the proposed master plan and developed a strategic response using tools and methods introduced in the InPlaLabs mini-courses: combining spatial analysis, accessibility, mobility, participation, and evidence-based design.

The outcome? Clear, well-structured proposals supported by maps, diagrams, and scenarios, showing how small, targeted interventions can improve accessibility, connectivity, inclusiveness, and climate resilience in a key urban corridor.
🌱 The exercise helped participants translate theory into practice, strengthen green and digital skills, and engage with the complexity of real urban environments - exactly what integrated planning is about.

Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Sustainable Mobility Unit
Commonspace Co-op
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

🚀 Our final InPlaLabs mini-course is now online - an interactive deep dive into frameworks for analysing, understanding, and planning cities through an integrated urbanism–mobility perspective!

Led by National Technical University of Athens, this module demonstrates how planners can leverage open data, spatial analysis, typomorphology, space syntax, and proximity-connectivity to translate integrated planning principles into real-world practice.
▶️ Watch the mini-course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUIpm82lB1U
📚 Access all presentations & open learning material: https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20122&lang=en

💡 Highlights:
• Revisiting key principles of integrated planning
• Understanding planning tools & the role of open data
• Introduction to strategic scenario planning
• Demonstration of multiple planning approaches with real examples
• Hands-on exercise: develop your own integrated planning scenario for Athens
✨ Instructors: Yannis Paraskevopoulos, Stefanos Tsigdinos, Ioannis Chatziioannou & Anastasia Christaki

Analytical planning-support approaches for integrated urbanism-mobility planning 🎓 Open Access for all Learning Materials at InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20122Explore all presentations, vi...

🚀 Our sixth InPlaLabs mini-course is now online - exploring centrality and accessibility analysis as key components of evidence-based urban design!

Led by Urban Calculator, a research-based spin-off from the Spatial Morphology Group at Chalmers University, this module demonstrates how spatial analysis can meaningfully inform early-stage design decisions and support more robust, evidence-based planning processes.

▶️ Watch the mini-course: https://youtu.be/kOmBl3plEBI?si=2AZrd0t2bKzBGYyr
📚 Access all presentations & open learning material: https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20121&lang=en

💡 Highlights:
• How to interpret centrality and accessibility analysis results
• How spatial analysis contributes to evidence-based design
• Scenario testing and evaluating spatial interventions
• A learning-by-doing exercise for integrating analysis into early design processes

✨ Instructors: Ioanna Stavroulaki, Meta Berghauser Pont & Evgeniya Bobkova

More mini-courses coming soon - stay tuned!



Urban Calculator
Sustainable Mobility Unit
Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Commonspace Co-op
Bond Of Union

Evidence-based planning: Integrating centrality and accessibility analysis into urban design 🎓 Open Access for all Learning Materials at InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20121Explore all presentations, vi...

🎁 Bonus video from the 5th InPlaLabs Mini-course is now available!

We’re excited to share a step-by-step video tutorial on how to implement Space Syntax and other evidence-based planning methods in QGIS, led by Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab (Department of Architecture University of Cyprus)

▶️ Watch the hands-on tutorial: https://youtu.be/R7EA7q8Jyl8?si=OsDGvKn7-S-jY47p

This practical walkthrough complements the main mini-course by guiding learners through the full workflow - from preparing datasets to running analyses, visualising results, and interpreting spatial insights for integrated planning!

📚 Explore all rich material & Open Educational Resources on the InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform: https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20162&lang=en

Whether you're a student, researcher, or planning professional, this tutorial offers an accessible way to apply Space Syntax and related methods in GIS for urban design and spatial planning.



Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Sustainable Mobility Unit
Commonspace Co-op
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

Hands-On Workshop: QGIS for integrated spatial planning 🎓 Open Access for all Learning Materials at InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20162Explore all presentations, vi...

🚀 Our fifth InPlaLabs mini-course is now live - introducing Space Syntax as an Evidence-based Design & Planning tool, led by the Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab!

▶️ Watch the mini-course: https://youtu.be/SsCZ_k7prB0?si=3qc41yfLnGuw4BNh
📚 Access all materials: https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20162&lang=en

This session offers a clear and hands-on introduction to Space Syntax within Evidence-based Design and Planning. From core concepts to running analyses in QGIS, the course shows how spatial data reveals patterns of accessibility, connectivity, and integration - empowering smarter, evidence-driven planning decisions.

💡 Highlights:
• Key Space Syntax terminology & theoretical foundations
• How to run syntax analysis using QGIS toolkits
• Mapping, visualising, and interpreting spatial results
• Scenario testing & understanding spatial impacts

✨ Instructors: Nadia Charalambous, Mariam Shulqamy, Frixos Petrou and Rafaela Christodoulou

More mini-courses coming soon - stay tuned!



Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus
Sustainable Mobility Unit
Commonspace Co-op
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

Space Syntax as an Evidence-based Design and Planning tool 🎓 Open Access for all Learning Materials at InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20162Explore all presentations, vi...

🚀 Our fourth InPlaLabs mini-course is now online — and this time we dive into Participatory Planning & Design, led by Commonspace Co-op!
▶️ Watch the mini-course: https://youtu.be/Deuzxix55EI?si=vtMhMBo_teffEfXY
📚 Access all presentations & open educational material: https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20123&lang=en

This module introduces the essentials of participatory planning, from core principles and tools to applied European examples. It also features an immersive workshop simulation that bridges concepts with hands-on practice — a key component of the InPlaLabs approach.
💡 What you’ll learn:
• How participatory planning emerged and evolved
• Key principles, methods, and tools
• Real applied European examples
• An interactive workshop simulation connecting theory to practice
✨ Instructors: Dionisia Koutsi & Sofia Tsadari (Commonspace Co-op)

More mini-courses coming soon - stay tuned!




Commonspace Co-op
Sustainable Mobility Unit
Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

Participatory planning and design methods: History, theory and practice 🎓 Open Access for all Learning Materials at InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=20123Explore all presentations, vi...

🌐 Our third InPlaLabs Video Lecture is now online!

▶️ Framing the InPlaLabs Technical Toolkit
Watch here: https://youtu.be/C4aavX24Gt8?si=b18zI03M4IbWPxpf
📚 Access the course via the InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform:
https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=21283

This module brings together the key digital, spatial and participatory tools that support the InPlaLabs approach to climate-resilient integrated planning. It introduces planners, researchers, students, and practitioners to accessible, practical and forward-looking methods for analysing, understanding, and co-creating urban environments.

The lectures included in this mini-course cover:
• GIS-based tools and data sources for climate-resilient planning
• Digital tools for analysing the urban environment I
• Digital tools for analysing the urban environment II
• Tools (digital and physical) for participatory planning

By combining geospatial analysis, digital environmental assessment, and participatory methodologies, this module highlights the transversal and transdisciplinary nature of the InPlaLabs Technical Toolkit—supporting evidence-based decision-making and empowering inclusive planning processes.

Stay tuned — more mini-courses from the InPlaLabs series are coming soon!




Sustainable Mobility Unit
Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus
Commonspace Co-op
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

Introduction to Integrated Spatial Planning: Technical Toolkit InPlaLabs is an Erasmus+ project in the field of higher education, is collaboratively implemented by the National Technical University of Athens (coordinator...

🌐 Our second InPlaLabs Mini-Course is now online!

▶️ Introduction to InPlaLabs Methodological Resources
Watch here: https://youtu.be/bLGiemKKLJc?si=sHyM7qOTT80GO4Fd

This module introduces the methodological foundations that support the InPlaLabs approach to integrated and climate-resilient urban planning. It presents a comprehensive set of quantitative, qualitative, participatory, and mixed-methods tools that enable planners, researchers, and practitioners to analyse, interpret, and co-design contemporary urban environments.

📚 The lectures included in this mini-course cover:
• Quantitative methods for integrated spatial planning I: Connectivity and Proximity Planning
• Quantitative methods for integrated spatial planning II: Centrality and Accessibility Planning
• Qualitative methods for integrated spatial planning
• Participatory methods for integrated spatial planning
• Mixed-methods approaches for climate-resilient integrated planning in the contemporary European city

🔍 These methodological resources provide a robust toolbox for diagnosing urban challenges, evaluating spatial dynamics, and supporting evidence-based, inclusive, and future-oriented planning processes.

Find the course in the Helios platform: https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=21282

🤩Stay tuned — we’ll continue sharing each mini-course in the series!

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Sustainable Mobility Unit
Commonspace Co-op
Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus
Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

Introduction to Integrated Spatial Planning: Methodological Resources 🎓 Open Access for all Learning Materials at InPlaLabs Open Learning Platform https://helios.ntua.gr/course/section.php?id=21282Explore all presentations, vi...

🔹 The Future of Integrated Planning in Cyprus 🔹

The Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab of the Department of Architecture University of Cyprus is pleased to invite you to the roundtable discussion “The Future of Integrated Planning in Cyprus”, organised as part of the InPlaLabs Network research project, funded by Erasmus+.

🗓 Monday, 17 November
🕖 7:00 – 8:30 PM
📍 Room A009, Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus (75 Kallipoleos, Nicosia)

The event will also be open to online participants via Zoom: https://lnkd.in/dAGgthez

This event will bring together experts and practitioners to explore how integrated planning can address challenges of climate resilience, mobility, and inclusivity in Cyprus — and how collaborations between academia, governance, practitioners, NGOs, and communities can lead to more participatory and evidence-based planning.

🎙️ Let's meet the Speakers:
Evie Anayiotou – Senior Executive Engineer, Public Works Department
Konstantina Karacosta– Founder & President, Ena Emeis NGO
Anna Caramondani – Director, ALA Planning Partnership
Alkis Dikaios – President, Cyprus Architects Association
Lora Nicolaou – Professor, Frederick University

The roundtable is part of the SUCY Lecture Series and will be held in English.
We look forward to an engaging discussion and to welcoming you at the Department of Architecture!

Sustainable Mobility Unit, National Technical University of Athens
Commonspace Co-op
Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab, Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

🎉We’re excited to present the first module in the InPlaLabs mini-course series!

This introductory module presents the InPlaLabs Theoretical Framework, setting the foundations for the transnational network of Integrated Planning Labs.

Watch the mini course here:
https://youtu.be/dfkyosvjVCE?si=n82IKnUYYZbrhVxY

The course introduces core theoretical perspectives and planning principles for rethinking how we design and manage cities in the era of climate change, digital transition, and social and environmental injustice.

📚 The course includes the following lectures:

• Transdisciplinary planning perspectives & principles for the climate-resilient, inclusive, and people-centric city
• The crucial green and digital skills for climate-resilient integrated planning of the contemporary European city
• Mobility planning for addressing climate change and contemporary urban life
• Participatory planning for addressing climate change and contemporary urban life
• Evidence-based planning for addressing climate change and contemporary urban life

💡 Together, these lectures reflect the InPlaLabs approach to integrated, cross-sectoral, and human-centred planning — an approach that bridges science, design, and practice!

📌Stay tuned — we’ll be releasing each mini-course in the series soon!

, , , , , , , ,
Sustainable Mobility Unit
Commonspace Co-op
Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus
Department of Architecture University of Cyprus
Urban Calculator
Bond Of Union

Introduction to Integrated Spatial Planning: Theoretical Framework InPlaLabs is an Erasmus+ project in the field of higher education, is collaboratively implemented by the National Technical University of Athens (coordinator...