Advisory Board

Denis Hayes

Denis Hayes

Bullitt Foundation, US
Paul Hodges

Paul Hodges

New Normal Consulting
Richard Lorch

Richard Lorch

Building & Cities
Professor Bernhard Müller

Professor Bernhard Müller

Technical University of Dresden, DE
Professor Tadj Oreszczyn

Professor Tadj Oreszczyn

University College London, UK
Professor Flora Samuel

Professor Flora Samuel

University of Cambridge, UK
Briony Turner

Briony Turner

European Space Agency: World Climate Research Programme
Alex Wilson

Alex Wilson

Resilient Design Institute, US

Latest Commentaries

5th Anniversary Essays

5th Anniversary Essays

These commissioned essays from Buildings & Cities' authors and readers explore how the research landscape is changing. New essays are continuously being added to the collection during 2024 as part of B&C's anniversary.

Collectively, these essays offer fresh insights into the processes and issues that are currently inadequate or missing in the built environment research landscape. A wide perspective from different disciplines and geographies creates a positive, collective vision for shaping the research agenda. Recommendations are made for what needs to change.

We hope this will provoke and inspire research funders, researchers and other stakeholders to discuss, reflect and act. Ideas range from systemic change to key research questions to improving engagement to change of focus.

The Challenges of Evidence-Based Design

While some progress has been made, particularly in areas like healing architecture where the impact of design on human well-being is more directly observable, much work remains to be done to extend evidence-based design to broader fields of architecture, urban planning and design. Meta Berghauser Pont (Chalmers University of Technology) explains the challenges and pathways needed for a shift toward evidence-based design in urban planning and urban design.