Alexandros-Vasileios Mademochoritis: Volumetric climate-responsive urban planning: challenges, tools and international trends in a new approach to urban development

The research project explores Climate-Controlled Environments (CCEs) as an innovative approach to urban production, creating specialised microclimates for food production, ecological protection and human habitation. Although small-scale individually, collectively they are gaining global significance as a response to the uncertainties associated with climate change. The study aims to critically analyse CEs, taking into account their efficiency and productivity in relation to urban socio-political, technological, economic and cultural contexts. It examines the unintended consequences of CEs and their implications for agriculture, challenging traditional notions of sunlight, soil and climatic components in the creation of life. The research examines whether CEs represent a new type of socio-technical infrastructure and their role in urban reproduction under conditions of uncertainty.

The methodology adopts an agnostic approach to data collection, maintaining a critical distance from the technology and taking into account the various urban infrastructure policies. The research agenda focuses on the contextual specificities, objectives and practices of CEs, as well as their socio-spatial consequences. To address these questions, the study offers an analysis of the current state of volumetric climate urbanism, examining the challenges, opportunities, instruments and technologies, and studying the international circulation of CEs across different geographical regions and urban contexts.

The expected outcomes include a thesis, articles in peer-reviewed journals, and presentations at conferences on urban planning and science and technology studies. The researcher plans to collaborate with the popular media, practitioners and decision-makers to ensure a tangible impact in the real world. The mixed-methods research approach includes literature reviews, empirical case studies, qualitative fieldwork and the use of technologies such as digital twins and mapping. The aim is to contribute to ongoing debates on volumetric climate urbanism and urban futures, drawing on the expertise of the Gustave Eiffel University community.