The Urbanism Lab is a focal point at the University of Chicago for the study of the built environment and its meaning and impact. Our research interests are reflective of social, cultural and political movements aimed at improving the quality of the built environment. Of particular interest is the notion of sustainable urbanism and the ability of cities to be places of vibrancy, social diversity, and neighborhood identity.
The Urbanism Lab is directed by Emily Talen, with help from the following amazing students: Micah Sheinberg, Enrico Madani, Daniel Kind, Yuwei Zhou, Julian Rapaport, and Pramiti Singh; former Urbanistas: Divij Sinha, Davis Turner, John Hawkins, Parker Otto, Serene Cao, Nina Olney, Emma Kahn, Cooper Komatsu, Eugen Craciunescu, Peyton Sanborn, Micah Wilcox; and the following amazing post-docs: Hyesun Jeong, Lydia Wileden, Arianna Salazar Miranda and Melissa Rovner
In The Spotlight

A New Book Urges Us to Read Our Cities
The more we can interpret the built environment, says Emily Talen, the better we can advocate for what we want in the future.