PhD Fellowship position in enabling inclusiveness and well-being in cities through an analytical urban design framework

PhD Fellowship position in enabling inclusiveness and well-being in cities through an analytical urban design framework: A comparative case study of Scandinavia and the Western Balkans

The Department of Built Environment has a vacant PhD Fellowship position. This PhD project focuses on innovation strategies for cities through the lens of inclusive, safe and economically vital cities for the well-being of people. Until now, the multi-dimensional well-being indicators for cities are underresearched. Thus, this PhD project aims for developing a novel mixed-method innovation framework that allows practitioners a tool at hand that allows planning and designing resilient future cities, develop and test scenarios for informed-decision making and to shape policies through a data-policy interaction approach.

Area of research

The idea of well-being has gained attention and become more important for people all over the world living in cities, towns, and rural areas. Well-being includes the physical, social and emotional state of a person. Inclusive, accessible, safe, economically vital cities with high quality environments are adding to a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle allowing for people to be physically active, socially interact and gain emotional wellness in a safe city. The notion of well-being is connected to the concepts of ‘Happy Cities’, ‘Healthy Cities’, and ‘Trauma-Informed Cities’. Thus, the idea of well-being in cities is a multi-dimensionional concept allowing to create future resilient cities.

This PhD study researches the interplay of socio-spatial, economic and aesthetic indicators creating an urban analytical design framework across scales enabling shaping policies to create safe, vital cities for the well-being of people.

The position is for a period of three years. The goal must be to complete the PhD program/degree within the decided time frame.

Qualification requirements and conditions

• Master’s degree within urban design, urban planning, spatial planning, geography or relevant disciplines. The degree must contain 120 credits (ECTS).
• An academic profile that suits the department’s needs.
• Good communication skills in English, oral and written.

The following grade requirements are a condition for employment in the position:

• Minimum average grade B on subjects included in the master’s degree.
• Minimum grade B on the master’s thesis.
• Minimum average grade C on the subjects included in the bachelor’s degree. If you have an integrated master’s degree, the grades from the first three standard years of the degree will be assessed.