Urban Automation and Robotics

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Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and automation are increasingly being applied in the infrastructure, management and policing of cities for public and private benefit. There are opportunities to support urban living, manage services more efficiently and respond to ecological turbulence but also major concerns about privacy, safety, trust, increased social control and racial profiling. 

The Urban Institute is at the forefront of international research on the restructuring of cities through new technologies of automation and its implications for urban social life. 

Our research is global in scope, with on-going empirical research in the UK, North America, Australia and Asia.

Research Questions

  • How might urban automation and robotics be understood as a distinctive socio-technical system?
  • What are the implications, opportunities and challenges for cities?
  • What sorts of governance and regulatory frameworks are needed to respond to the new era of urban robotics and automation? 

People

Theme Lead: Aidan While

UI members: Simon Marvin | Bei Chen

Visitors: Desiree Fields | Pauline McGuirk | Noor Ahmad Basri | Rachel Macrorie | Andy Lockhart  Mateja Kovacic

Current projects

Interrogations

Houses reflected in the water during a flood

The future of Climate Urbanism: The second ºù«Ӱҵ Urbanism lecture series

Wed 6 October, Wed 20 October, Wed 3 November
Virtual event

Publications

Journal articles
  • Lockhart, A., While, A., Marvin, S., Kovacic, M., Odendaal, N and Alexander, C. (2021) Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 1-16. DOI,
  • Chan B, Marvin S and While A (2020)  Dialogues in Human Geography 10(2), 238-241. 
  • While A, Marvin S and Kovacic M (2020)  Urban Studies, DOI: 10.1177/0042098020917790 
  • Fields D, Bissell D and Macrorie R (2020) . Urban Geography, 41(3): 462-268. 
  • Macrorie R, Marvin S, and While A (2019) . Urban Geography, DOI, 10.1080/02723638.2019.1698868.
  • Kovacic M (2019) Society 5.0: Japan’s Super Smart Society as a Global Model.  La Vanguardia.
  • de Hoop E, van Oers L, Becker S, Macrorie R, Späeth P, Astola M, Boon W (2019).  Architecture and Culture, 7(2): 1-19.
  • Macrorie R and Marvin S (2019) . Urban Studies, 56(11): 2207-2224. 
  • Kovacic M (2018)  Critical Asian Studies 50(4): 572-590.
  • Marvin, S and Luque-Ayala, A (2018) , International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 41(1): 84–103.
  • Schindler. S.  and Marvin, S.  (2018)  City, 22(2): 298-307.
  • Lockhart A and Marvin S (2019) . Antipode 52(3): 637-659.
  • Taylor Buck N & While A (2017) . Urban Studies, 54(2): 501-519.
  • Foulds C, Robinson RAV, Macrorie R (2017) , Energy Policy, 104: 194-202
  • Luque-Ayala A and Marvin S (2015)  Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 34(2): 19-208.
  • Luque-Ayala, A. and Marvin, S. (2015) ? Urban Studies, 52(12) 2105-2116.
  • Marvin, S,  Rutherford, J.  Area.&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;2021;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;00:&²Ô²ú²õ±è;1–&²Ô²ú²õ±è;10
Books
  • Luque-Ayala and Marvin S. (Dec 2020) . MIT Press. 
  • Marvin S, Bulkeley H, Mai L, McCormick K, Voytenko Palgan Y eds. (2018a)  London: Routledge. 
  • Marvin S, Luque-Ayala A and McFarlane C eds. (2016).  London: Routledge.
Book chapters
  • De Hoop E, Smith A, Boon W, Macrorie R, Marvin S, & Raven R (2018) . In: Stissing Jensen J, Spaeth P and Cashmere M (eds.) The Politics of Urban Sustainability Transitions: Knowledge, Power and Governance. Chapter 3. ISBN: 9781138479654
  • Marvin, S. (2021)  The     global   urban  condition and politics   thermal metabolics - the chilling prospect of killer heat. In: M. Lancione and C. McFarlane (eds) Oxford: Routledge.
Reports and other outputs
  • Macrorie R (2018) , The Independent, 21 July 2018. 
  • Marvin, S. Lockhart, A., While, A., Marvin, S., Kovacic, M., Odendaal, N. and Alexander, C. (2019) Drones/Robotics and Development Priorities in Africa. British Academy Project Final Report. 
  • Marvin S, While A, Kovacic M, Lockhart A, Macrorie R (2018) , Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK RAS) Network White papers. ISSN: 2398-4414. 
  • Kovacic M (2018) . The Conversation, 10 April 2018. 
  • Marvin S and Rutherford J (2017)  The Independent, 15 July 2017.
  • Marvin, S. (2021) l. City Road Podcast, University of Sydney.

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