Episode 21: Laura Narvaez Zertuche, PhD

The #CitiesFirst Podcast

Dr. Laura Narvaez Zertuche is an architect, urban designer, and a spatial scientist. She is a Partner in the Urban Design Group at Foster + Partners, where she leads people movement and data analytics within the firm since 2015. Her work incorporates evidence-based and research-led design that combines informed decision-making with simulation-powered design tools and strategic development of methodologies with their application to architecture and urban design. She has +17 years of experience working in urban design and master planning internationally, primarily in Mexico, UK, the Middle East and Asia. She is a specialist in assessing how issues such as pedestrian footfall, economic activity and social interactions will impact the viability, growth, and long-term evolution of projects, ranging from new cities to complex buildings. Laura works pro-bono as a contributor and advisor, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Urban AI -an international multi-disciplinary think-tank that investigates the ethical modes of governance and sustainable uses of artificial intelligence in cities. Laura is also a Lecturer at the Chair of Cognitive Sciences in ETH Zurich. She gained a MSc and PhD in Architecture and the Built Environment from the Space Syntax Laboratory at The Bartlett, UCL.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about urbanism and AI: 👇👇👇

✅Tell us about your journey from academia to practice

✅What can AI tell us about the built environment and urban design

✅How do you approach technology when applied to the urban scale

✅What are some of the best examples of AI & machine learning in design

✅Tell us about Urban AI and latest contributions to the think tank