sustainable practices and healthy habitats.
sustainable practices and healthy habitats.
sustainable practices and healthy habitats.
How we impact
Research Excellence
We aims to enhance research excellence and innovation capacity in the field of evidence-based design and planning (EBDP) at the University of Cyprus (UCY).
Interdisciplinary Research
We promote interdisciplinary research and networking in the EBDP field by strengthening collaborations among partner institutions and other relevant research projects
Impact on Society
We aims to make a broader impact on the scientific community and society by developing sustainable urban governance ecosystems through stakeholder and public engagement in scientific knowledge development
Research
Active Rooftops South Europe (aRTes) is a European research and innovation project aiming to transform underutilized urban rooftops into multifunctional, accessible, and climate-resilient spaces. With a strong focus on cities in Southern Europe, aRTes combines physical solutions, such as modular raised floors, photovoltaic pergolas, and inclusive rooftop access, with digital tools for co-design and stakeholder engagement. The SURF Lab at the University of Cyprus contributes to the project’s participatory design methodology, rooftop transformation scenarios, and stakeholder engagement strategies. Through real-world pilot sites and community-based co-creation processes, aRTes seeks to unlock the untapped potential of rooftops as infrastructures for sustainability, social inclusion, and urban regeneration.
This project examines how migration is governed and contested across the island’s urban spaces. It traces the asylum process as written in law alongside lived experiences, exposing gaps between formal procedures and everyday realities. The study maps the infrastructures of the reception system—camp spaces, bureaucratic pathways, policing and surveillance, and NGO support—together with the counter-spaces and practices of resistance that emerge. Methods combine ethnography, participatory action research, policy review, and spatial observation with collaboration among migrants, NGOs, first-line practitioners, academics, and host-society groups. Analytically, it mobilizes border epistemologies, assemblage thinking, urban morphology, and spatial justice to examine how agency is territorialized and deterritorialized through everyday urban practices.
Responsible Researcher: Ana Maria Ricchiardi Hernandez
PS-U-GO stands for Participatory Skills for Sustainable Urban Governance. We’re on a mission to create Urban Living Labs (ULLs) where students, local residents, urban planners and policymakers collaborate to address urban challenges and co-create vibrant, sustainable communities.
PS-U-GO will implement Urban Living Labs (ULLs) as educational spaces involving stakeholders from the quadruple helix to experiment and test ideas and solutions to urban challenges. The ambition of the project is to enable place-based civic participation to address issues of public concern in respect to common values. The aim is to equip students with advanced participatory and soft skills for sustainable urban governance through innovative education, set in real-life environments.
Co-creating knowledge on forward-looking transdisciplinary planning perspectives addressing climate change and urban life in the post-pandemic city. InPlaLabs aims to form a multi-level, multi-stakeholder network of knowledge nodes on integrated planning to exchange, co-create and share knowledge on transdisciplinary planning perspectives. This novel approach is based upon the necessity to cover the inadequate synergy and lack of systemic collaboration in planning-related higher education with their surrounding knowledge ecosystems of practice and policy actors to co-create the crucial knowledge on forward-looking transdisciplinary planning perspectives and the required green, digital, and intercultural skills to address climate change and urban life in the post-pandemic city.
TWIN2EXPAND will enhance research capacities in evidence-based urban design and planning (EBDP) as a field of critical importance in the R&I of integrated approaches and technologies for effective spatial planning and sustainable urban governance. The project facilitates a partnership among University of Cyprus, three leading institutions in the field (University College London; Chalmers University of Technology; Polytechnic University of Turin) and one pioneering SME practicing EBDP (Space Syntax Limited). By addressing urban sustainability, TWIN2EXPAND will contribute to achieving targets of the Cyprus Smart Specialisation Strategy, the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable Urban Development Goals. The strategic objectives of the project are to enhance research excellence and promote interdisciplinary research and networking in the EBDP field, and to make a broader impact on the scientific community and society.
TWIN2EXPAND embraces the international networking ethos of the SDGs to achieve scientific excellence in the R&I of the built environment, fully embedding it within the quadruple helix by fostering collaboration with local authorities and other stakeholders. It aims to achieve a scientific and integrative approach to urban planning and governance as the entry point into effective transitioning to sustainable development. Focusing on emerging concepts and challenges in the field, the project proposes a generalised conceptual and working model of evidence-based urban design and planning.
By embedding open science practices within the project’s activities, TWIN2EXPAND will make significant contributions to research excellence, scientific advances and societal progress, implementing three pathways to maximise substantive real-world impact:
- innovative capacity-building in research management and excellence in the EBDP field;
- co-creation of evidence-based urban design and planning knowledge; and
- emphasis on translation of scientific knowledge to professional practice knowledge
SURF team publications
Explore the team’s contribution to Books, Edited Volumes, Research Projects documents, Journal Articles, PhD/PostDoc theses.
Publications
EPUM
Four short briefing papers on different urban morphological approaches: Historico-Geographical, Process Typological, Space Syntax, Relational.
Briefing Paper 1: Historico-Geographical Approach to Urban Morphology
Briefing Paper 2: Typological-Processual Approach to Urban Morphology
Briefing Paper 3: Space Syntax Approach to Urban Morphology
Briefing Paper 4: Relational-Material Approach to Urban Morphology
SUGAR
Briefing Paper: Participatory Planning for Sustainable Urban Governance
KAEBUP
Research Summary: Literature Review of Blended-Learning Techniques
TWIN2EXPAND
Charalambous, N., Pasia, M. Geddes, I., Stavroulaki, G. and Berghauser Pont. M., (2025) TWIN2EXPAND D4.4. Policy Brief 01: Greener for whom? How Accessibility and Amenities Proximity Shape Inclusive Urban Green Space in Cyprus.
Charalambous, N., Pasia, M., Abdeldayem W., Geddes I., Stavroulaki, G. and Berghauser Pont. M. (2025) TWIN2EXPAND D4.4. Policy Brief 02: Sustainable Location Strategies for Citizens’ Services.
Charalambous, N., Pasia, M. (2025) TWIN2EXPAND. Advancing Sustainable Urban Development Through Evidence-Based Design and Planning.
ISUF2019
Cities as Assemblages. 130 papers in 3 volumes presented at the 26th ISUF International Conference. Topics include: the scope and limits of urban theories; emergence, relational theories, the social sciences and urban morphology; combining Conzenian, Typological and Space Syntax approaches; embedding different approaches into the study of urban morphology; urban morphology, building typology and design; urban conflict and divided cities; Mediterranean port cities in a global context.
Cities as Assemblages, Proceedings of the XXVI International Seminar on Urban Form 2019, 2-6 July 2019, Nicosia, Cyprus, Vol. 1, edited by Nadia Charalambous, Alessandro Camiz, and Ilaria Geddes.
Cities as Assemblages, Proceedings of the XXVI International Seminar on Urban Form 2019, 2-6 July 2019, Nicosia, Cyprus, Vol. 2, edited by Alessandro Camiz, Ilaria Geddes, and Nadia Charalambous.
Cities as Assemblages, Proceedings of the XXVI International Seminar on Urban Form 2019, 2-6 July 2019, Nicosia, Cyprus, Vol. 3, edited by Ilaria Geddes, Nadia Charalambous, and Alessandro Camiz.
CYNUM2018
Urban Morphology in South-Eastern Mediterranean Cities: Challenges and Opportunities. Twenty-eight papers presented at the 1st Cyprus Network of Urban Morphology regional conference. Topics include: urban morphology; urban form methodologies; urban evolution, conservation and heritage; urban sprawl and fringe belts; urban form and social phenomena; urban design and revitalisation; buildings design; urban conflicts.
Urban Morphology in South-Eastern Mediterranean Cities: Challenges and Opportunities, 16 -18 May 2018, Buffer Zone, Nicosia, Cyprus.
KAEBUP – 3rd CyNUM Conference
The joint KAEBUP – 3rd CyNUM Conference brought together academics and professionals to address urban challenges through Evidence-Based Design and Planning (EBDP). Structured around seven thematic areas, it explored methodologies, case studies, public participation, and the role of urban morphology. The event fostered collaboration between research and practice for sustainable urban solutions, integrating data, theory, and interdisciplinary approaches.
From Urban Research to Planning and Design Strengthening Cooperation Between Academia and Practice, August 2025.
PSUC 2018
The measure of axial intelligibility formulated by Hillier et al. (1987) contributed to a better understanding of the impact of urban layout on wayfinding and navigation. Its transferability to the street segment representation has proved challenging, highlighting to some extent the different development logics and complexities arising from urban environments depending on whether they are planned, incremental, or informal. Building on this work and more recent research, this talk explores further the nature of exploration in relatively simple and complex environments that arise from their development process. It revisits and discusses the notion of ‘intelligibilities’ to reflect the diversity of experiences when navigating various urban environments.
Space Syntax Symposium 14, edited by Nadia Charalambous, Chrystalla Psathiti, and Ilaria Geddes.
Geddes. Ilaria., 2017, “Limassol as a Social Assemblage: A Diachronic Analysis of its Urban Form“, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Cyprus.
Chapter 4: “Spatial Memory and Shifting Centrality“, Nadia Charalambous and Ilaria Geddes
Restricted Publications
- Geddes, I., (2024). “The role of urban form and architectural heritage in the ‘reurbanisation’ of the historical centre of Nicosia“, Chapter in Advanced Research and Design Tools for Architectural Heritage.
Nadia Charalambous, Ilaria Geddes, “Making spatial sense of historical social data”, The Journal of Space Syntax, , Vol. 6, Issue 1, 2015, 81 – 101.
Ilaria Geddes, Alessandro Camiz, Nezire Ozgece, Nevter Zafer Comert, Şebnem Hoşkara, and Gizem Caner, “PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF URBAN MORPHOLOGY RESEARCH IN CYPRUS“, Viewpoint, 2023, 186 – 198.
Ilaria Geddes, “Understanding the Mechanisms and Impact of Growth on the Urban Form and Functioning of Cities: An Application to the Case of Limassol“, Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies, Vol. 6, Issue 1, January 2020, 39-66.
Tihomir Viderman, Ilaria Geddes, Chrystala Psathiti, “Lived Urban Form. Using Urban Morphology to Explore Social Dimensions of Urban Space“, The Journal of Public Space, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2023, 79 – 92.
Ilaria Geddes, Christakis Chatzichristou, Nadia Charalambous, Ana Ricchiardi, “Agency within Neighborhoods: Multi-Scalar Relations between Urban Form and Social Actors“, Land 2024, 13, 269.
Karimi, K., Zhand, S., Simons, G., Abdeldayem, W. S., Charalambous, N., & Giraud, I. (2025). Framing Evidence-Based Design and Planning: An Analytical, Multi-Scalar and Iterative Framework for Urban Design and Planning. Urban Science, 9(11), 457. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci9110457
Restricted Publications
- Charalambous, N., Cömert, N. Z., Geddes, I., (2018). “The study of urban form in Cyprus“, Urban Morphology, 23(1), 69 – 92
- Geddes, I., Ioannou, B., Psaras, M., (2020). “Factors, mechanisms and challenges of planning in Cyprus“, Planning Perspectives, 36(4), 761–787.
- Siri, José G., Geddes, I., (2022). “Mainstreaming health in urban design and planning: advances in theory and practice“, Cities & Health, 6(5), 853–857.
Collaborative Learning Spaces from Research to Practice: The KAEBUP Platform, by Nadia Charalambous, Christos Mettouris, Ilaria Geddes, Evangelia Vanezi, George Papadopoulos, Constantinos Xenofontos, and Marios Kyprianou.
The role of Participatory Planning methods in the development of public spaces: A systematic case studies review on Sustainable Urban Governance, by Ilaria Geddes, Nadia Charalambous, and Andreas Papallas.
Building a timeline, developing a narrative: visualising fringe belt formation alongside street network development, by Ilaria Geddes and Nadia Charalambous.
Persistence at the edge: the socio-economic make-up and configurational properties of Chrysaliniotissa and Agios Kassianos, Nicosia, by Ilaria Geddes.
MEASURING THE MATERIALITY OF SPACE: Can space syntax provide the tools for an analytical grounding of assemblage theory?, by Ilaria Geddes, Christakis Chatzichristou and Nadia Charalambous.
A Relational Research Approach to Urban Morphology, by Ilaria Geddes, Christakis Chatzichristou, Nadia Charalambous.
Redefining Urban Potential through a Morphological Perspective, by Ilaria Geddes.
Challenges and Barriers of Integrating Spatial Models and Tools for Social-Economic Performance Assessment in Data-Scarce Urban Environments, by Ana Ricchiardi, Iason Giraud, Nadia Charalambous, and Ilaria Geddes.
News + Events
- Events
The 1st Cyprus Transport Hackathon was successfully held on January 17, 2026, bringing together 22 teams and 65 participants from diverse backgrounds, including students, researchers and professionals, to collaboratively address key challenges in transport and mobility in Cyprus.
The Hackathon focused on the development of innovative, practical and human-centred solutions across thematic areas such as public transport, road safety, multimodal mobility and inclusive mobility. Working in interdisciplinary teams, participants ideated, developed and presented proposals responding to real-world challenges and policy priorities.
The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, the Municipality of Strovolos, the University of Cyprus (through SURF Lab and KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence), the Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK), Hack{Cyprus}, and Google Developers Group (GDG) Cyprus.
Jury Awards
The Jury Awards were granted based on quality, innovation, clarity of approach, and the overall contribution of the proposals to the objectives of the Hackathon and to the broader dialogue on transport and mobility in Cyprus.
🥇 1st Prize (€3,000) – Team GTFS Guru
Proposal: “AI Real Time Bus Positions”
An intelligent system enabling uninterrupted real-time monitoring of bus locations, even in areas with limited or no GPS signal.
Team members: Igor Akimov, Roman Iakimenok, Sviatoslav Akimov, Sergei Vlasenko, Marina Kyriakou.
🥈 2nd Prize (€1,500) – Team Way Guard
Proposal: “Wrong-Way Driving Detection System on Motorways”
A road safety system that detects vehicles entering motorway exits in the wrong direction, supporting data-driven decision-making and the monitoring of safety interventions.
Team members: Xenios Theodorou, Lambros Theodorou, Herodotos Dimitriou.
🥉 3rd Prize (€700) – Team EftychiouSolutions (UrbanFlow AI)
Proposal: “TrustBus CY”
An AI-powered application that predicts bus arrival times with 92% accuracy, offering smart recommendations and real-time accessibility features.
Team members: Achilleas Eftychiou, Iosif Alampritis.
In addition to the awarded teams, the Jury granted Special Mentions to proposals that demonstrated strong potential, originality and social impact:
Special Mention – Team Motion Notion
Proposal: “HorioHop – Inclusive Mobility”
An application suggesting optimal routes to any village in Cyprus and enabling pre-booking of minibuses for remote areas, fully digitising rural mobility.
Team members: Sofya Fedkina, Georgii Zazdravnyi.
Special Mention – Team HackNova
Proposal: “HackNova API”
An API that can be integrated into existing applications to display a reliability (confidence) score calculated using real-time and historical data.
Team members: Teresa Carnassale, Margarita Golovina.
Special Mention – Team Laou Laou
Proposal: “Micromobility Loop Bus – Milo Bus”
A 15-minute circular bus route designed to support micromobility users in fragmented and car-oriented urban environments.
Team members: Eugenia Antoniadou, Nektarios Grigoriou, Iakovos Sierifis, Iakovos Loizou.
Collaboration and Impact
The Hackathon highlighted the power of collaboration between the public sector, academia and innovation ecosystems. The SURF Lab of the University of Cyprus participated as a co-organiser, contributing expertise in urban mobility, spatial planning, accessibility and inclusive design, and supporting the exchange between research, policy and practice. Beyond the competitive aspect, the event served as a platform for experimentation, dialogue and capacity-building, reinforcing the importance of participatory and collaborative approaches in shaping the future of transport and mobility in Cyprus.
Special thanks are extended to all participants for their creativity, commitment and collaborative spirit, as well as to the mentors, jury members and partner organisations whose contribution was essential to the success of the event.
For additional material from the event, please visit the link here.
- Events
The Society and Urban Form (SURF) Lab of the University of Cyprus invites students, researchers, professionals and innovators to participate in the 1st Cyprus Transport Hackathon, a national initiative dedicated to rethinking mobility and transport systems in Cyprus.
The Hackathon is co-organised by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, Municipality of Strovolos, University of Cyprus (through SURF Lab and the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence), Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK), Hack{Cyprus}, and GDG Cyprus.
Venue: Strovolos Municipality Town Hall
Date: Saturday, 17 January 2026 | 09:30 – 18:00
About the Hackathon
The Cyprus Transport Hackathon is a one-day innovation marathon where multidisciplinary teams collaborate intensively to design creative, practical and scalable solutions addressing real-world challenges in transport and mobility.
Participants will work in teams, supported by mentors from academia, the public sector and the tech community, and will present their solutions to a multidisciplinary Jury.
Who Can Participate
The Hackathon is open to teams of up to five members, including:
- University and high-school students
- Researchers and early-career academics
- Software developers and data scientists
- UX/UI designers
- Engineers, urban planners and architects
- Professionals and practitioners in mobility and transport
Multidisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged.
Thematic Challenges
Participants will develop solutions within one of the following challenge areas:
- Smart Public Transport & Real-Time Information
- Multimodal Mobility & Micromobility
- Road Safety, Congestion & Risk Prevention
- Inclusive Mobility (tourism, regional areas, students and people with disabilities)
What the Hackathon Offers
Participants will benefit from:
- Mentoring and workshops by experts from SURF, KIOS, Hack{Cyprus}, GDG Cyprus, ONEK and the Ministry
- Networking with public authorities, researchers and innovation communities
- Pitching their solutions to a professional Jury
- Visibility and potential pilot implementation of selected ideas
Prizes for the top three teams:
- 1st Prize: €3000
- 2nd Prize: €1500
- 3rd Prize: €700
Registration
Participation is free of charge.
Registration is available through the official online form.
📌 Deadline for submissions: 15 January 2026
In case of a high number of applications, a first-come, first-served policy will apply.
The full Open Call, including participation rules and evaluation criteria, is available online.
- News
We are pleased to share the October 2025 issue of the SURF Biannual Newsletter, featuring recent highlights from the Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab at the University of Cyprus.
This edition showcases the Lab’s ongoing engagement in European research projects such as MAKINGSPACE, U-CARE, TWIN2EXPAND, InPlaLabs, PS-U-GO, and KAEBUP, as well as participatory urban activities, workshops, and events across Cyprus and Europe. From urban health and accessibility initiatives to inclusive design, sustainability, and citizen co-creation, the newsletter reflects SURF’s commitment to shaping more resilient and equitable urban futures.
Read or download the full newsletter here.
Stay connected with us on LinkedIn for updates on our latest activities, projects, and events.
- Events
Within the framework of the EU-funded TWIN2EXPAND Project, the Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab of the Department of Architecture at the University of Cyprus, in collaboration with the community association “ena emeis” and the Cyprus Paraplegics Organization (CPO), invites you to a collective Accessibility Mapping activity for the Pedieos River Park, at Strovolos Municipality.
When: Saturday, 18/10/2024
Time: 09:00 – 12:30
Where: Pedieos River Park, Municipality of Strovolos
Meeting point: Strovolos Municipal Cultural Centre
Participation Form: https://forms.gle/akjg6Xj7wZWmA4Nw9
The accessibility mapping aims to identify and map the park’s routes and infrastructure to identify areas needing improvement for people with mobility or visual disabilities (shared green spaces, parking areas, pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, public amenities, and restrooms). In parallel, the park’s overall quality and inclusivity will be evaluated as perceived through each participants’ personal experience.
Findings will be shared with the Municipality of Strovolos and the Nicosia Inter-Municipal Development Company Ltd (DAEL) to inform updates to the Strategic Plan for the Pedieos River. Results will also be published on the Ablebook platform so everyone can access up-to-date information on accessible areas.
What to bring: A fully charged smartphone with GPS, a power bank, a tape measure/measuring tool if you have one, hat/water, and comfortable shoes.
With the support of: the Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity Office of the University of Cyprus, Municipality of Strovolos and Ablebook.
Check the program here.
- Events
🌍 Join us for the Event “Integrated Spatial Planning: Interdisciplinary Approaches for Contemporary Challenges” organised by Commonspace Coop
📅 September 14, 2024
🕕 18:00
📍 PLYFA Space, Athens (Korytsas 39, Athens, 104 47)
We are excited to invite you to an open discussion organized by Commonspace Co-op as part of the InPlanEd (Erasmus+) project. The event will explore the economic, social, and environmental challenges cities face today, and the need for innovative, interdisciplinary solutions in spatial planning.
Speakers:
Pantoleon (Pantelis) Skayannis, Emeritus Professor, University of Thessaly, AESOP
Loukas Triantis, Assistant Professor AUTH, Vice President of SEPOX
Eleni Mougiakou, Lead Researcher of Urban Heat Watch
Yannis Paraskevopoulos, NTUA, School of Rural, Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering, Sustainable Mobility Unit
The discussion will be moderated by Sofia Tsadari, commonspace, member of the SEPOX board, and a welcome address will be delivered by Efthimios Bakogiannis, Associate Professor NTUA.
Let’s explore together the contemporary challenges in planning! 🌿
👉 We look forward to seeing you there!
For updates and more information, follow us on our website (https://www.inplaned.eu), Facebook (https://lnkd.in/dMgBcPvg), LinkedIn (https://lnkd.in/dHiN3agh), and X (formerly Twitter) (https://x.com/InPlanEd).
Sustainable Mobility Unit, National Technical University of Athens
Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab, University of Cyprus
Noumena
Commonspace Coop
AESOP – Association of European Schools of Planning
InPlanEd_EU InPlanEd EramusPlus UrbanPlanning UrbanDesign IntegratedPlanning PlanningCourse Cites4People InclusiveCities SustainableMobility ClimateResilience ParticipatoryPlanning EvidenceBasedDesign CPD
- News
Join our course in September! In-person (Athens + Nicosia) or online.
Open to postgraduatestudents and practitioners
👉 fill out the google form to receive more info and keep updated: https://lnkd.in/eDHXWqB6
Course highlights:
– innovative and flexible online or in-person learning format
– seminars and workshops by international experts
– real-world case studies and practical applications
– learning materials and recordings of seminars available on dedicated platform
– taught in English with summary materials available in Greek
Sustainable Mobility Unit, National Technical University of Athens
Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab, University of Cyprus
Commonspace Coop
Noumena
AESOP – Association of European Schools of Planning
InPlanEd_EUInPlanEd EramusPlus UrbanPlanning UrbanDesign IntegratedPlanning PlanningCourse Cites4People InclusiveCitiesSustainableMobility ClimateResilience ParticipatoryPlanning EvidenceBasedDesign CPD