Dr Patricia Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht

(she/her)

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Research interests

My research interests encompass a wide range of areas:

• The Design and Sociology of the Public Realm
• Planning and Designing with Social Cohesion and Intercultural Dialogue in mind
• Social infrastructure
• Privatization, Control and Militarization of Public space
• Minorities and Disadvantaged user groups in Public Space
• Conservation and Regeneration of Post-War Modernist Architecture and Planning

Research Centres and Groups

• Co-Founding Director of the Public Space Observatory Research Centre, a joint venture of the School of Geography and Planning and Welsh School of Architecture (2019 - Present)
• Research Co-Lead of SPACE Research Group, Geography and Planning School, Cardiff University (2021 - Present).
• AESOP Thematic Group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures (2018 - Present)
• Cities Research Centre, Cardiff University (2017 - Present)
• Social and Cultural Geography Group, Cardiff University (2016 - Present)
• SPACE, Cardiff University (2016 - Present)
• Inclusive Cities Impact Group, Cardiff University (2016 - Present)

Current research projects

I am currently working on the following projects:

Enhancing Social Value Assessments: Co-Producing a Tool for Evaluating Social Infrastructure with Health and Well-being Indicators (2024-25): This project deepens collaboration with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the London borough of Camden to co-produce an assessment tool for evaluating the social value of social infrastructure (SI). Building on the SOCIAL-US tool developed earlier, the project embeds health and well-being indicators alongside dimensions of social cohesion and place quality. The tool will be piloted in libraries and parks to ensure applicability, then refined into a user-friendly, web-based format hosted on the GLA platform. This initiative fosters knowledge exchange, strengthens partnerships, and supports evidence-based policies aligned with London’s social integration and health agendas. This project is a partnership with the GLA and Camden Libraries, Leisure and Recreation Departments, and is partly funded by the University's Research Leave Scheme and the ESRC (IAA KEPSs). The project team includes: Patricia Aelbrecht (PI) and Gary Bridge (Co-I).

Assessing Social Infrastructure Outcomes: Implementing an assessment tool and Catalysing Impact (2024-25): This project aims to catalyse the impact of previous research by extending a collaboration between Cardiff University, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the two London Boroughs (LBs) of Camden and Hackney. The goal is to help them implement an assessment tool previously developed by the academic team within LB practices. This tool evaluates the effectiveness of social infrastructure (SI) and assesses how well it achieves its intended outcomes and supports social cohesion. The initiative addresses inconsistencies in understanding, assessing, planning, and delivering social infrastructure across the LBs, thereby supporting both the Mayor’s social integration agenda and the UK’s levelling up agenda. This project is a partnership with the GLA, and is funded by the ESRC (IAA KEPSs). The project team includes: Patricia Aelbrecht (PI) and Gary Bridge (Co-I).

Placemaking Toolkit for Wales (2021-23): This project is a steppingstone towards innovative practices around placemaking for the public realm in Wales. It aims to co-produce with four LAs a web-based Public Space Toolkit for Wales in partnership with the Design Commission for Wales, Urban Design Group and Living Streets to help implementing the Welsh Placemaking Agenda. The project team includes: Patricia Aelbrecht (PI), and Co-Is: Francesca Sartorio, Wes Aelbrecht, Richard Gale, Michael Corr, Jessica Richmond and Sanjeev Kumar, and is funded by an ‘Innovation for All’ grant from the HEFCW. The toolkit has been profiled by the RTPI on its Research Matters website: RTPI | Placemaking Toolkit for Wales: Improving the public realm in our towns and cities

My/your Cardiff Public Space Campaign (2021 - 2023): This campaign is one of our first PSO’s projects. Its primary aims is to raise public awareness on the social, cultural, economic and environmental values and benefits of well-designed, used and managed public spaces. By doing so, it aims to promote community engagement and empowerment  through education, training and capacity to improve public spaces and respond to a significant reduction of public sector expenditure in local authorities’ provision and maintenance of public infrastructure and services. This project is funded by an ESRC Impact Grant. The project team includes: Patricia Aelbrecht (PI), Wes Aelbrecht and Jessica Richmond.

Public Space Observatory Research Centre (PSO) (2019 - present): In October 2019, myself and Dr Hesam Kamalipour from the School of Geography and Planning (GEOPL) and Dr Nastaran Peimani from the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) co-founded the Public Space Observatory (PSO) a knowledge exchange platform in public space research, practice and policy. The PSO’s mission is to bring together local, national and international academics, practitioners and policymakers engaged with the provision, design, management and use of public space. Its primary aim is to build new partnerships and collaborations, share resources, promote knowledge exchange, empower local communities through education, training and capacity building, and advance cutting-edge knowledge in public space design, management and use theories, practices and policies.

Urban Design and Spaces of Encounter (2018-24): This project comprises a series of parallel research initiatives examining the role of urban public spaces in fostering social cohesion, particularly in contexts where cohesion is challenged by growing cultural and economic disparities. It focuses on three award-winning public space projects in Copenhagen, London, and Rotterdam to assess whether their design approaches have successfully facilitated positive social interactions and enhanced social cohesion. The insights gained will inform future policies and design practices for urban public spaces, as well as contribute to broader discussions on social and cultural policy and service delivery. This project was initiated with internal funding from Cardiff's Cities Research Centre and RMIT Exchange (Australia) and expanded with external ESRC IAA funding, and has been run in partnership with the Greater London Authority, Urban Design Group and Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design. The project team includes: Patricia Aelbrecht (PI), and Co-Is Gary Bridge, Richard Gale and Quentin Stevens (RMIT).

Past research projects

• Research project 'Public Space Design and Social Cohesion', University of Sheffield and Cardiff University, funded by Sheffield Seed Funding (2015-18).
• Research project ‘Re-imagining Sheffield’s Post-war Modernist Social Housing’, funded by Achieve More, University of Sheffield (2015-16).
• Research project: ’Rehabilitation of Post-war modernist masterplans’, funded by UCL Advances (2013-14).
• Research project ‘Knowledge Exchange between Theory and Practice in Urban Design: the Masterplan of Southbank Centre in London’, funded by UCL Advances (2013-14).
• Research project ‘City Beaches in Germany’ led by Dr. Quentin Stevens, funded by Humboldt Research Fellowship, (2012).
• Research project: ‘The after life of a Mega-event: Lisbon’s Word Expo 98’, funded by UCL Grand Challenges (2011).

Teaching

Current teaching and admin roles

I contribute to the following modules:

• CPT867 Designing Cities
• MAUD Autumn/ Spring Studio
• MAUD Dissertation
• UG Dissertations in Human Geography, Geography and Planning, and Urban Planning
• PGT Dissertations

I am currently the Phd Admissions Tutor in Geography and Planning, I oversee the recruitment and admission of our doctoral candidates. 

Biography

Education and qualifications

• Certificate of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, The University of Sheffield (2016)
• PhD Urban Studies, The Bartlett School of Planning and Geography Department, University College London (2013)
• MSc. International Planning, The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (2007)
• Diploma/ BA + MArch in Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal (2001)

Professional memberships

• Fellow, Royal Anthropology Institute, UK (2020 - Present).
• Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2016 - Present).
• Member, Urban Design Group (2015 - Present).
• Member, Architectural Humanities Research Association (2009 - Present).
• Member, Portuguese Architectural Association, OASRS Portugal, RIBA Accredited (2001 - Present).

Academic positions

• Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer, Geography and Planning School, Cardiff University (2016 - present)
• External Examiner of MA Urban Design, University of Strathclyde (2024 - present)
• Visiting Scholar, RMIT, Australia (2018).
• Teaching Fellow in Urban Design, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, The University of Sheffield (2014 – 2016).
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (2013).
• Research Fellow, Geographical Institute Humboldt University, Berlin (2012).
• Course Tutor in Urban design, The Bartlett School, University College London (2009 – 2012).

Committees and reviewing

• Editor-in-Chief of URBAN DESIGN International, Palgrave Journal (2021 - present)
• Editorial Board, Reviews Editor, Frontiers of Sociology  (2024 - present)
• Editorial Board, Urban Design Group Journal, Urban Design Group, UK  (2021 - present)
• Editorial Board, Urban Design and Planning, ICE Publishing, UK  (2023 - present)
• Journal reviewer for several Journals including: Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability; GeoForum; Space and Culture; Urban Design International; Urban Studies; Journal of Intercultural Studies; Planning Practice and Research.
• Vice-Chair of National Urban Design Student Awards - Urban Design Group (2021 - present)
• Academic member of the Executive Committee, Urban Design Group, UK (2020 - 2022)

Supervisions

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:

• The Design and Sociology of the Public Realm
• Privatization and Control of Public space
• Minorities and Disadvantaged user groups in Public Space
• Environmental-behavior Relations
• Experiential and Sensorial Urbanism
• Urban Design Theory and Practice Nexus
• Conservation and Regeneration of Post-War Modernist Architecture and Planning
• Urban Design of Mega-events

I am currenty supervising the following PhD students:

• Primary Supervisor of Wenjie Li, Department of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University with PhD Thesis titled: 'Landscape Therapy: Urban Space Design in the Post Epidemic Era' (2022 - present). The second supervisor is Dr. Matluba Khan.
• Secondary supervisor of Aysenur Bas, Department of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University with PhD Thesis titled: 'Transformative Urban Play: Exploring Transformation Potential of the Play in the Public Space for Social Well-being' (2022 - present). The first supervisor is Dr. Matluba Khan.

Current supervision

Aysenur Bas

Wenjie Li

Past projects

2017-2024: primary Supervisor of PhD candidate Mehrnoosh Mansoorgarakani, Department of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University with PhD Thesis titled: 'Assessing and Designing Soundscapes: Lessons from the Bazaar and the Shopping Mall in the City of Tehran' (2017 - present). The second supervisor was Dr. Jonathan Prior.

2018-2024: primary supervisor of PhD Candidate Ying Liao with PhD Thesis titled: Designing a Ageing-friendly Chinese city’, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University. The second supervisor was Dr Justin Spinney.

2019-2022: secondary supervisor of PhD Candidate Yani Wu with PhD Thesis titled: ‘Possibilities and Limitations of Chinese Eco-City Development: Case Study of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, China, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University. The first supervisor was Dr Li Yu.

2015-2021: secondary supervisor of PhD Candidate Mahsa Mohajer with PhD Thesis entitled: ‘Exploring the Potential of Water’s Edge: A Spatial Analysis of Everyday Life in Anzali Port-the Caspian Sea-Iran’, Department of Landscape Architecture, The University of Sheffield. The first supervisor was Dr Nicola Dempsey.