UML was initially founded as an online networking platform for young academics in 2018. As the number of projects undertaken grew and diversified, it was permanently established as research lab and networking platform in the Faculty of Architecture at TU Darmstadt in November 2020.
The research team has been involved in varied academic projects that seek to address the diverse yet intersectional relationships between urban issues such as– technological advancements (digital awareness in cities), socio-political changes (migration etc.), questions of identity and sense of place (city imagineering etc.), and urban health (air pollution, global pandemic etc.).
Through the diverse topics that fall under the umbrella of rapid urban transformations, the UML team aims to investigate insights from an interdisciplinary and international geographical perspective. Our research objectives are to highlight the complexity, comprehensiveness and interconnectedness of the urban transformative processes, collaborate with international and interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners, offer in-depth understanding and present solution-oriented approaches, and co-produce scientific publications.