Tech for All: Emerging Technologies for Inclusive Urban Transformation
- hafsaelbriyak
- Mar 5
- 3 min de lectura
Actualitzat: Mar 14
On 3 March, ULALABS hosted the second open webinar “Tech for All: Emerging Technologies for Inclusive Urban Transformation”, organised within the framework of the Distributed Learning Pilot. The session brought together researchers and practitioners to explore the role that emerging technologies can play in creating more inclusive and collaborative urban transformation processes in our cities.
The webinar was opened by Konstantinos Kourkoutas (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona / ULALABS coordinator), who welcomed participants and introduced the ULALABS project and the context for the thematic session within the pilot fase of the project.
Participants' presentations
The session featured presentations from experts working at the intersection of technology, urban innovation and participatory design:
Maria Rodó-Zárate (Pompeu Fabra University) presented the INTERMAPS project, which develops conceptual and methodological tools to analyse inequalities and discrimination through an intersectional perspective, combining spatial analysis with participatory methodologies to better understand lived experiences in urban spaces.
Javier Martínez (University of Twente) explored how AI, VR and GIS can support empathic and inclusive urban co-design. Through approaches such as Responsible Futuring, these tools can help participants explore different perspectives and imagine future urban scenarios while reflecting on the values shaping public spaces.
Vangelis Angelakis (Linköping University) presented the Kungsgatan Testbed, an IoT-based experimentation platform designed to collect and analyse real-time urban data. The testbed enables collaborative research and experimentation on mobility and smart city infrastructures in real urban environments.
Jens Kaae Fisker (University of Stavanger) introduced the Urban Belonging App, a digital tool designed to capture place attachment through participatory and visual methods. The open-source platform combines digital data collection with in-person workshops to foreground lived experiences in urban planning processes.
Roundtable: Technology, participation and urban transformation
A key theme throughout the webinar was that emerging technologies can expand the possibilities for participation and collaborative design, but only when they are integrated into inclusive governance and participatory processes.
Tools such as AI, GIS, VR and experimentatation spaces like testbeds can support urban experimentation and decision-making processes, but their real value lies in how they help bring together researchers, public administrations, practitioners and citizens to explore and test new approaches to urban challenges. This is where the value of the experimentation spaces as relational infrastructures is demonstrated clearly.
This was highlighted during the roundtable discussion moderated by Oriol Barat (UAB), where speakers and participants reflected on both the opportunities and challenges of applying digital technologies in real urban contexts, emphasising the need to combine technological innovation with inclusive governance and collaboration across stakeholders.
Publications and project framework
The webinar also highlighted key ULALABS publications that provide the conceptual and practical foundations for this work:
These publications outline the theoretical framework of the distributed “Lab of Labs” model and capture lessons learned from ULALABS’ implementation across partner regions. A podcast with the Roadmap co-authors will also be released soon.
Next Pilot Activity
The next webinar in the series, “Nature for All: Renaturalizing the City for Personal, Collective and Planetary Health”, will take place on 8 April 2026 (12:00–13:30 CET, online). The session will explore practical approaches to integrating nature-based solutions and urban commons into city transformation processes.
Register here: https://forms.office.com/e/Vwd83cp4vS
You can consult the presentations from the webinar here:
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