Dr Patricia Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht
Lecturer in Urban Design
Ysgol Daearyddiaeth a Chynllunio
- aelbrechtp@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 5735
- 2.100, Adeilad Morgannwg, Rhodfa’r Brenin Edward VII, Caerdydd, CF10 3WA
I am a lecturer in Urban Design. My research lies at the intersection of Urban Design and Social and Cultural Geography. My core area of investigation is the social dimension of urban design, more in particular the design and sociology of the public realm. I have explored among other issues how social practices and activism in public space shape and redefine the meanings and uses of public spaces in a wide range of European contexts. My recent work has also dealt with mega-events as catalysts of urban regeneration and the contested regeneration of post-war modernist cityscapes.
Before turning to academia, I worked for almost a decade as an architect and urban designer in several international well-known practices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. I gained experience in public space design, masterplanning, and in designing and building of small-scale housing projects and exhibitions, and large-scale and complex architectural projects such as museums and concert halls. This experience certainly contributed to enrich my professional and academic background, and to make many international contacts and gain proficiency in a good number of European languages. More importantly, it made me more sensitive to cultural specificities of planning and design policies and practices when undertaking research.
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 (Urban Lab), University College London (2013).
- MSc. International/ Comparative Planning, The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (2007).
- March in Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal (2001).
- BArch in Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal (1998).
Aelodaethau proffesiynol
- Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2016-)
- Member, Urban Design Group (2015-)
- Member, Architectural Humanities Research Association (2009-)
- Member, Order of Architects OASRS Portugal, RIBA Accredited (2001-)
Safleoedd academaidd blaenorol
- Lecturer in Urban Design, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University (2016 – present)
- 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).
2019
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2019. A world fair for the future: revisiting the legacy of the expo 98 urban model. In: Evans, G. ed. Mega Events: Placemaking, Regeneration and City Regional Development. Routledge, pp. 53-69.
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2019. Public space design and social cohesion: lessons from the global north and global south. Presented at: Interface to Place: Remaking Divisive Lines into Shared Spaces Conference and Summer School, Queen's University Belfast, 12-16 Aug 2019.
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2019. New public spaces of circulation and their scope for informal social interaction and cohesion. Presented at: AESOP Conference Planning for Transition, Venice, 9-13 July 2019.
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2019. New public spaces of circulation, consumption and recreation and their scope for informal social interaction and cohesion. In: Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. and Stevens, Q. eds. Public space design and social cohesion: an international comparison. Routledge, pp. 199-219.
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. and Stevens, Q. 2019. Conclusion: Emerging knowledge at the intersection of public space design and social cohesion.. In: Aelbrecht, P. and Stevens, Q. eds. Public Space Design and Social Cohesion: An International Comparison. Routledge Series on Planning and Urban Design Oxford: Routledge, pp. 317 - 346.
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2019. Introducing body-language methods into urban design to research the social and interactional potential of public space.. Journal of Urban Design 24(3), pp. 443-468. (10.1080/13574809.2018.1537712)
2018
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. and Stevens, Q. eds. 2018. Public space design and social cohesion: an international comparison. Routledge Series on Planning and Urban design. Routledge.
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2018. What role does the design of public spaces play in enhancing social cohesion?. Presented at: Public Lecture, RMIT Alumni Event, Melbourne, Australia, 12 September 2018.
2017
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2017. The complex regeneration of post-war modernism: London's Southbank Centre's masterplan. Urban Design International 22(4), pp. 331-348. (10.1057/s41289-016-0039-z)
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2017. European public space programs with social cohesion in mind. Presented at: International Workshop of Research Exchange on 'Public Space and Social Cohesion', Cardiff University, 12 December 2017.
2016
- Aelbrecht, P. 2016. 'Fourth places': the contemporary public settings for informal social interaction among strangers. Journal of Urban Design 21(1), pp. 124-152. (10.1080/13574809.2015.1106920)
2015
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. and Stevens, Q. 2015. The art of knowledge exchange in urban design. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Urban Design and Planning 168(6), pp. 304-317. (10.1680/udap.13.00036)
2014
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2014. A World Fair for the future: a study of the legacy of the Expo 1998 urban model. In: Pearce, C. et al. eds. Meet Me at the Fair: A World's Fair Reader. Carnegie Mellon University's ETC Press, pp. 485-501.
2013
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2013. Rick Mather architects and their South Bank Centre Masterplan, Knowledge Exchange Project Report. UCL Advances.
2011
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2011. Spatial strategies and tactics: a study of the everyday uses in the Parque das Nações in Lisbon. In: Cremaschi, M. and Eckardt, F. eds. Changing places: Urbanity, Citizenship and Ideology in the New European Neighbourhoods., Vol. 3. European Urban Research Series Techne Press, pp. 100-117.
2010
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2010. Rethinking urban design for a changing public life. Journal of Place Management and Development 3(2), pp. 113-129. (10.1108/17538331011062667)
2009
- Lopes Simoes Aelbrecht, P. 2009. How can urban design bring strangers together?. Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal 3, pp. 191-206.
Current teaching
I lead the following modules:
- CP0250 Site Planning Development and Valuation
- CP0370 Design guidance in Planning Practice
I contribute to the following modules:
- CPT867 Designing Cities
PhD supervision
I am currenty supervising the following students:
- Secondary supervisor of PhD candidate Mahsa Mohajer, Department of Landscape Architecture, The University of Sheffield with PhD Thesis entitled: ‘Equity of Access to Public Open Space on the Waterfront of Caspian Sea in Iran, The Case of Anzali City’ (2014-present).
I welcome the opportunity to supervise PhD students whose topics fit with my research interests.
Research interests
My research interests encompass a wide range of areas:
- The Design and Sociology of the Public Realm
- Masterplanning
- Post-War Modernist Architecture and Planning
- Waterfront Developments
- The Urban Design of Mega-events
- 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
Research groups
- Social and Cultural Geography Group
- Inclusive Cities Impact Group
Current research projects
More details will follow soon.
Past research projects
- Research project Achieve More ‘Re-imagining Sheffield’s Post-war Modernist Social Housing’, University of Sheffield (2015-16).
- Research project: ’Rehabilitation of Post-war modernist masterplans’, UCL (2013-2014).
- Research project ‘Knowledge Exchange between Theory and Practice in Urban Design: the Masterplan of Southbank Centre in London’, UCL (2013).
- Research project ‘City Beaches in Germany’ led by Dr. Quentin Stevens, Humboldt University (2012).
- Research project: ‘The after life of a Mega-event: Lisbon’s Word Expo 98’, UCL (2011).
