Tandon launches institute to advance urban planning – Washington Square News

NYU Tandon Launches Urban Institute to Advance Sustainable Development Goals

New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering has established a new Urban Institute dedicated to addressing critical urban challenges through advanced technology and interdisciplinary research. The institute’s mission is directly aligned with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to create resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban environments for a growing global population.

Core Objectives and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

The Urban Institute, under the direction of Maurizio Porfiri, will concentrate its efforts on key areas that are fundamental to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The primary focus will be on leveraging artificial intelligence and data science to develop solutions for climate, public health, and urban infrastructure.

Fostering Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11)

A central objective is to make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The institute will contribute to this goal by:

• Synthesizing research to create more accessible city designs.
• Developing advanced urban planning tools to manage population growth effectively.
• Improving urban systems and the science of cities to enhance the quality of urban living.

Promoting Climate Action and Resilience (SDG 13)

In response to the urgent need for climate action, the institute will focus on mitigating the effects of climate-related natural disasters. Key initiatives include:

• Researching the natural environment within urban contexts.
• Implementing technology to monitor and manage urban flooding, a critical climate adaptation measure.

Advancing Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9)

The institute is committed to building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation. This will be achieved through:

1. Focusing on the development and maintenance of physical infrastructure.
2. Utilizing data science to analyze and scale traffic patterns.
3. Enhancing safety measures for construction workers, contributing to safer and more resilient infrastructure projects.

Enhancing Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3)

The institute’s work on public health and safety directly supports the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being. This focus is further reinforced by NYU’s recent establishment of the Institute for Engineering Health, a collaboration between Tandon and NYU Langone Health.

Strategic Approach and Research Pillars

The institute will pursue its objectives through a multi-faceted strategy involving targeted research and strategic collaborations.

Key Research Areas

The initiative will concentrate on four interconnected areas of research:

• Physical Infrastructure
• The Natural Environment
• Urban Systems
• The Science of Cities

Collaborative Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

To maximize impact and ensure solutions are scientifically validated and community-relevant, the Urban Institute will actively partner with community organizations and city governments. This collaborative approach embodies the spirit of SDG 17, strengthening the means of implementation for sustainable development.

Educational Commitment to Sustainable Development (SDG 4)

In line with the goal of ensuring quality education, the institute is developing “4+1” curricula. This program will enable students to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years, thereby educating the next generation of urban scholars and practitioners equipped to tackle complex urban challenges and advance the SDGs.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article highlights the Urban Institute’s plan to establish “4+1” curricula, allowing students to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years. This initiative directly contributes to providing advanced and specialized education, aiming to “educate the next generation of urban scholars.”
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
   • The institute’s focus on “physical infrastructure,” “city infrastructure,” and using “advanced technology,” “artificial intelligence and data science” to build urban planning tools aligns with this goal. The research aims to improve infrastructure resilience and safety, such as for construction workers.
3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • This is the most central SDG addressed. The institute’s primary mission is to create “more accessible city design,” mitigate disaster effects, monitor urban flooding, and improve urban systems and traffic patterns, all of which are core components of making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
4. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The article explicitly mentions the goal to “mitigate the effects of natural disasters” and “monitor urban flooding.” These actions are direct responses to the increasing climate-related hazards affecting urban areas and contribute to building climate resilience.
5. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The institute’s strategy involves uniting “multiple academic disciplines across NYU” and “partnering with community organizations and city governments.” This collaborative approach is essential for implementing sustainable development solutions effectively and aligns with the goal of fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships.

2. Specific SDG Targets

1. Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
   • The creation of “4+1” curricula for bachelor’s and master’s degrees directly supports this target by providing new pathways for advanced tertiary education in urban studies.
2. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
   • The focus on “physical infrastructure” and research to “scale traffic patterns to improve safety measures for construction workers” contributes to developing safer and more resilient urban infrastructure.
3. Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
   • The institute’s aim to “mitigate the effects of natural disasters” and “monitor urban flooding” directly addresses this target by working to reduce the adverse impacts of such events on cities.
4. Target 11.b: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters.
   • The development of “urban planning tools” using AI and data science is intended to help cities implement integrated plans for resilience and climate adaptation.
5. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • This target is supported by the institute’s work on mitigating natural disasters and monitoring urban flooding, which enhances the adaptive capacity of cities to climate-related challenges.
6. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • The stated plan of “partnering with community organizations and city governments” is a direct implementation of this target, fostering collaboration to achieve sustainable urban development.

3. Mentioned or Implied Indicators

1. Number of new educational programs established:
   • The launch of “4+1” curricula and new master’s degrees serves as a direct indicator of progress in providing quality education (SDG 4). The number of students enrolled would be a further measure of its impact.
2. Development of new urban planning tools:
   • The creation and deployment of tools using AI and data science for urban planning is an implied indicator of progress in innovation and building resilient infrastructure (SDG 9, SDG 11).
3. Data from monitoring urban flooding:
   • The act of “monitoring urban flooding” implies the collection of data on the frequency and severity of flood events. This data can be used as an indicator to measure a city’s vulnerability and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts (SDG 11, SDG 13).
4. Number of partnerships formed:
   • The number of formal partnerships established with “community organizations and city governments” can be used as an indicator to measure the progress towards building effective collaborations for sustainable development (SDG 17).

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nyunews.com