Below is the script for my Pecha Kucha, the amalgamation of various areas of research under the one theme.  I have really enjoyed undergoing an individual research project and I’ve learnt so much about the environments that we live in.  I am definitely now more informed about the direction that humanity is heading in and…

A smart city utilises Internet of Things sensors, actuators and technology to connect various components across the city.  Data derived from everything connected to the network can be utilised to improve the lives of those in the city. The video below explains the capabilities of smart cities really well; I see smart cities as a…

I have previously discussed the future of personal transport around cities however commercial vehicles have just as much scope for change and are therefore another interesting area to investigate in terms of how our cities might evolve.  Although commercial mobility will follow the same electrification, autonomy, connectivity and sharing trends, the application of them is…

“Cities make a vital contribution to the success of the country. But their success depends on an efficient, sustainable urban transport system.” Shadiq Khan  Since the beginning of affordable motoring in the 1950s, the transport sector has seen only gradual and incremental improvements for 50 or so years. But now, transport is on the verge…

Luckily in Scotland, water is an abundant resource and we rarely have to worry about if there is enough to go round. Unfortunately however this isn’t the story everywhere and as our impact on the environment worsens, so does the frequency and scale of droughts. Of all of the water on the surface of the…

“Omtankte” translates from Swedish as ‘caring’ or ‘considerate’ which is exactly what Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer’s attitudes are towards improving their negative ecological impact.  Their actions extend past goals to make their manufacturing processes carbon neutral by 2025 and an example of this is their work on the living sea wall in Sydney Harbour…

A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or high-quality fresh food.  Rather than supermarkets or market stalls these areas are often served by smaller, higher priced corner shops where shelf space is often reserved for processed convenience foods.  Unfortunately, due to the rise of urban populations it…

In a recent lecture, Professor Alistair Macdonald posed to us the question “Does technology define humanity?” In order to explore this we must first define the two terms.  Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, particularly in industry.  Humanity, on the other hand is much harder to define and throughout…

In a recent talk delivered by Rachel Sleight, we learned about her career so far as well as some ongoing projects.  The discussion was based around Rachel’s design practice and how this can vary depending on the designer’s priorities. Rachel designs, makes and sells one-off, high-end leather accessories through her brand burnbank leather.  The brand…

In today’s lecture from Nicholas Oddy we discussed what makes great design. He gave a few examples of what could be considered great design and explained come context around each to give some reasons on why they might be considered to be regarded so highly.  The definition of great design is very ambiguous and it…