The Urban Informatics group in the QUT Design Lab examines, communicates, and designs responses to how people, place, and technology come together to create urban experiences.
We apply diverse established and novel methods of enquiry to identify challenges and opportunities in urban environments, across socio-cultural, economic, ecological, and technological spheres. We design innovative technologies, interventions, and services to respond to such challenges and opportunities through meaningful engagement with individuals, communities, and organisations across the public, private, not-for-profit, and education sectors. Our aim is to research and co-create urban futures that are more liveable and equitable. Thus we dare to ask difficult questions and go an extra mile to ensure the most insightful, impactful outcomes.
Urban informatics is the study, design, and practice of urban experiences across different urban contexts that are created by new opportunities of real-time, ubiquitous technology and the augmentation that mediates the physical and digital layers of people networks and urban infrastructures. (Foth et al., 2011)

We bring our diverse ways of thinking and creating for collaborative and innovative action for today and the future.
The group was founded in 2006 by Professor Marcus Foth. Since then we have rapidly evolved into an internationally leading research and development team. As a key part of the QUT Design Lab, our vision is to go beyond disciplinary boundaries to generate and harness actionable knowledge focusing on urban contexts. As such, our team consists of researchers and practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds across people, places, technologies: humanities and social sciences; design, planning, and architecture; human-computer interaction, information technology and computer science. We are always keen to connect with individuals and organisations who share our passion for transdisciplinary research and development to together create better urban futures.
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