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Action Research
At the heart of the Urban School's mission is the pedagogical principle of co-producing public knowledge between students and faculty—knowledge that is shared, actionable, and applicable to professionals. Through its Lab, the School develops action-research projects around three main themes:
The concept of action research is based on a collaborative approach between students, faculty, researchers, and field professionals. It aims to produce knowledge that public and private decision-makers can directly use in response to contemporary urban challenges, particularly concerning ecological and social transitions. These projects help inform strategic decisions, support public policies, or provide concrete solutions for organisations through a methodology rooted in field research and social science methods.
The partnership with citydev.brussels is a prime example of this approach. This pilot project, conducted in 2023-2024, brought together researchers and professionals early to co-create responses to emerging urban governance challenges.
Highlights and publications
The Lab promotes these research efforts through publications and events involving public and private partners. Among these initiatives, Transforming Territories – Lessons from the Lab collection highlights collective projects carried out by our students. Each edition summarises key lessons learned from these projects and offers concrete recommendations for action.
The first edition of the collection focuses on environmental justice, exploring four projects that study disadvantaged neighbourhoods and their exposure to environmental inequalities. These projects offer actionable strategies to integrate these communities into the ecological transition.
This ongoing dialogue between knowledge and action, strengthened by an international and comparative approach, allows the Urban School to contribute to the transformation of urban territories actively.
