School of Architecture + Planning

Dennis Frenchman, the Class of 1922 Professor of Urban Design and Planning in the School of Architecture and Planning.

3Q: Dennis Frenchman on the rise of innovation districts in Cambridge and beyond

MIT professor explains how “productive neighborhoods” can remake cities.

November 28, 2016

Members of the MITili and pK-12 Action Group convene to discuss learning and research directions.

Enhancing education from pre-K to MIT and beyond

Two new initiatives take an in-depth look at learning.

November 23, 2016

Left to right: Robert Stoner, deputy director of the MIT Energy Initiative and director of the Tata Center for Technology and Design; Maria Zuber, MIT vice president for research; Joi Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab; and John Fernandez, professor of architecture and director of MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative.

Forging ahead on climate action

At UN Climate Change Conference, MIT researchers share insights on implementing climate commitments.

November 22, 2016

At forum, MIT community tackles tough ethical questions of climate change

Why is it so hard for human beings to address climate change? What can motivate effective action?

November 21, 2016

The TechCon conference, hosted by MIT and USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network from Nov. 10 - 12, convened researchers and innovators to collaborate on solving global issues.

At TechCon, science-based solutions for world issues

Innovators and researchers tackle global issues through actionable research and collaboration.

November 15, 2016

MIT researchers have developed a way to isolate genetic circuits within individual synthetic “cells,” preventing the circuits from disrupting each other.

Researchers create synthetic cells to isolate genetic circuits

Encapsulating molecular components in artificial membranes offers more flexibility in designing circuits.

November 14, 2016

Research from Senseable City Lab’s HubCab project on the potential for taxi sharing shows how more than 150 million taxi trips connect the city of New York in a given year. Yellow represents taxi pickups, while blue indicates drop-offs.

A future of shared mobility

MIT and Uber team up to study the potential for shared rides and vehicles to reshape urban mobility.

November 8, 2016

Zixiao Yin is a 2016-2017 Samuel Tak Lee Graduate Fellow and student in urban studies and planning.

Tackling Chinese urban development

Samuel Tak Lee Graduate Fellow Zixiao Yin plans to serve communities back home in Inner Mongolia.

November 4, 2016

Real estate innovation by the numbers

Real Estate Innovation Lab to promote the future of urban development by showing investors how it can work.

November 3, 2016

A newly developed wing architecture could greatly simplify the manufacturing process and reduce fuel consumption by improving the wing’s aerodynamics. It is based on a system of tiny, lightweight subunits that could be assembled by a team of small specialized robots, and could ultimately be used to build the entire airframe.

A new twist on airplane wing design

“Morphing” wing could enable more efficient plane manufacturing and flight.

November 3, 2016

The Media Lab has never looked spookier . . .

Scene at MIT: A nightmare on Ames Street

October 31, 2016

First row: (l-r) Azra Akšamija, Phillip Clay, Dennis Frenchman, Skylar Tibbits. Second row: (l-r) James Wescoat, Sheila Kennedy, Alan Berger, Kristel Smentek. Third row: (l-r) Brandon Clifford, Brent Ryan, Kevin Esvelt.

New faculty, promotions, and leadership roles in the School of Architecture and Planning

Four join the SA+P faculty, while seven are recognized for work in art, architecture, and urbanism.

October 28, 2016

Why have solar energy costs fallen?

MIT team awarded U.S. Department of Energy grant to investigate cost reductions in solar energy systems.

October 26, 2016

The Creative Community building, a new 100,000-square-foot facility, will be home to the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) when it opens its door in 2019. Faculty from MIT's School of Architecture and Planning are helping to develop the DIDI curriculum.

MIT to help Dubai launch a new undergraduate institution focused on design

School of Architecture and Planning will develop curriculum, courses for Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation.

October 24, 2016

Researchers used sample images, like the ones on the top row, to identify several visual features that are highly correlated with judgments that a particular area is safe or unsafe. The left side shows a low level of safety while the right shows a high level. Highlighted areas on the middle row show “unsafe” areas while the bottom row shows “safe” areas in the image.

Quantifying urban revitalization

Combining cellphone data with perceptions of public spaces could help guide urban planning.