Urban Menus

We aim to build resilient towns and to promote a circular economy through innovative approaches.

Our aspiration: Our goal is to rethink cooperation within productive cities, minimise resource losses, and avoid unilateral decisions, and encourage collaborative decision-making by fostering input from all stakeholders in the decision process. By integrating innovative resource management, implementation options, and monitoring tools into urban and regional development strategies, we can improve interactions with community stakeholders and achieve promising outcomes.

Our approach: Holistic impact analysis is based on state-of-the-art and target data plus digitally assisted participative decision-making thanks to 3D and immersive technologies to form the best future for all

The basic innovation: URBAN MENUS is a web-based tool and training program that presents future visions of urban or rural areas in 3D. It includes economic, social, and ecological impacts and helps facilitate consensus among multiple stakeholders with reasonable effort. Austrian funding agencies supported it with a preliminary study conducted worldwide in 2020/21 and a pilot project in India. urbanmenus.com


R&D project: URBAN MENUS Circularity China: Resilient Circularity Optimizer for Urban Systems

In a new project, we aim to develop an interactive technology catalogue that facilitates the participatory design of resilient, symbiotic process systems. By providing impact previews of various technology combinations, it supports the development of scenarios that align with the needs of cities for circular economy approaches and balance the differing interests of diverse societal stakeholders.



Core work packages (Project duration: 04/2024–03/2026)

Target groups

Benefits and Main innovative results

“URBAN MENUS Circularity” prototype (software, application guide, training)

Who we are – Consortium

Bilateral expert

Circularity Optimizer steering committee

Laura P.
Spinadel

Idea generator for URBAN MENUS passionate about global networking around the project.

Austro-Argentine architect with a holistic approach, multiple award-winning urban design projects (including the master plans for the innovative housing project Compact City and the university campus WU Vienna), founder and managing director of the architecture firm BUSarchitektur & the architecture-multimedia agency BOA büro für offensive aleatorik, both in Vienna. “I believe that only together, with many small steps, we can create the necessary matrix to allow the emergence of a collaborative space that is good for all of us – the emergence of Holistic Villages in our smart cities.”

Petra
Busswald

Strategy partner responsible for backend, data structures and algorithm mathematics.

Co-managing director of the environmental informatics company akaryon (Vienna and Styria), founded in 1999, studied technical environmental protection and technical mathematics, involved for decades in international research projects on sustainability and conception of web tools for operationalizing sustainability (including CO2 calculator, energy simulation, climate change monitoring, etc.). “Structured data on estimated impacts helps to think about scenarios in an informed and factual way and to come to a consensus with a plan that makes as many different people or stakeholder groups happy as possible.”

Wolfgang
Weiß

Wolfgang Weiß is head of the department “Industrial Systems” at AEE INTEC.

He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Graz University of Technology. He is working on topics related to industrial digitization, industrial decarbonization and industrial-urban symbiosis.

Yong
Zhang

Full Senior Engineer, Registered Utility (HVAC) Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Arts Group.

General Manager of Building Energy Saving Company, Expert of Jiangsu Province Survey and Design Expert Database, Expert of Jiangsu Province Green Building Label Evaluation Expert Database, Expert of Jiangsu Province Green Building Label Evaluation Expert Database, Expert of Jiangsu Province Science and Technology Development Centre of the Department of Housing and Construction, Expert of Jiangsu Province ‘333 High-level Talent Cultivation Project’ third level cultivation object, and an external instructor for postgraduate students of Southeast University.

Li
Zhu

She is the director of China Urban Sanitation Association, the director of China Environmental Industry Protection
Association, the secretary-general of National Public Toilet Construction and Management Committee, and the head of
World Toilet Organization (WTO) in China.

At the same time, she also serves as a special research institute of the National Environmental Photocatalysis Engineering
Technology Research Center, deputy director of the Collaborative Innovation Center of the Wuxi Institute of Applied
Sciences of Tsinghua University, and a visiting professor of the School of Environmental Engineering of the University of
Engineering and Technology in Shanghai.

Wenjun
Sun

PI of the Water Purification Team of Research Institutes for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou) Tsinghua, Tsinghua Professor, Adjunct Professor of the University of Western Ontario (Canada), Board Member of the International Ultraviolet Association, Support Officer of ISO-Cleaning equipment for air and other gases/UV-C technology.

A long-term commitment to the development of water purification technology research, predicated on a thorough evaluation of the water quality in the specific context of their implementation, provided technical solutions and a comprehensive array of equipment and systems to ensure the protection of municipal life and the safety and quality of industrial water.

Circularity Optimizer Bilateral Expert

Jade
Wang

Managing Director of DesignWarehouse, Jade Wang bridges sustainable innovation between China and Europe.

With degrees in Economics from the Beijing Institute of Technology and the University of Amsterdam, she brings expertise in experimental economics, entrepreneurship, and circular development. Jade focuses on bio-based construction and sustainable product design, aiming to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral, circular bioeconomy. Her mission: to drive climate change solutions through natural materials and sustainable design.

Circularity Optimizer advisory board

Climate

Diego
Rybski

Senior researcher specializing in complex urban systems and climate change.

He is a senior researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. In addition, he is external lecturer in the Complexity Science Hub in Vienna and a section editor at PLoS One (Urban Studies). Most recently, he was admitted to the Heisenberg-Program (German Research Foundation, DFG). Currently, he also serves as the coordinator of the UPon project (Urban Percolation) funded by the DFG. Diego holds a PhD in Physics from Justus-Liebig-Universität (Germany). His research focuses on cities and urban systems – specifically, on cities as complex systems, cities and climate change (mitigation/adaptation), and urban climate and the urban heat island effect.

Future

Karla
Paniagua

Ph.D. in transdisciplinary studies of culture and communication.

With 22 years experience in learning-experience design, 21 years in scientific publishing, and two decades in project design, management, and assessment, she brings a wealth of expertise to the Board. Furthermore, with 23 years in multimedia and discourse analysis, 21 in applied anthropology, and 8 in futures studies, her skills span diverse domains. As an undergraduate and graduate professor for 19 years and a groups facilitator for 28 years, she offers extensive educational and collaborative experience. And with 35 years as a storyteller and recognized as a National Researcher at CONACYT level 1, her multifaceted background significantly contributes to research and knowledge dissemination.

Resilience

Jan
Schultheiß

Consultant at the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction.

He oversees various projects in the area of European and international urban development policy, including the EU Mission 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, the further development of the Urban Agenda for the EU as well as international partnerships and city networks within the framework of “Dialogues for Urban Change”. In addition, he coordinates European networks for integrated risk management and difficult cultural heritage and supports the national contact point of the New European Bauhaus initiative. Jan Schultheiss is an art historian (BA Roosevelt University, Chicago) and urban planner (Master in Urban Planning, Harvard University, Cambridge).

Education

Alessandro
Manetti

Head of Europe LCI Education. mathematics Barcelona Design Week 2023 Curator.

Design strategist, futurist and educational manager. At present, he is Head of Europe of LCI Education network (LaSalle College International – www.lcieducation.com): one of the largest creative and innovation education network with a diverse learning community of 12 select higher education institutions with 23 campuses on 5 continents, and 2,000 colleagues involved in educating over 20,000 learners worldwide each year. He is also collaborating with BCD Barcelona Center of Design as the curator of the Barcelona Design Week 2023 edition with the concept “Design for Human Future”. He is Ph.D. Cum laude in Design Thinking applied in Trend Analysis and Foresight, researcher and author for UOC (Open University of Catalonia). As studied Sociologist, he has more than 30 years of professional experience in the world of innovation, design, fashion, trends, communication, creativity and in the fields of education and research.

ArtTech

Amy Zi
Wenli

Dedicated to promoting and facilitating the ideas and methods of contemporary international art and education in China. Upon graduating with a master’s degree in 1995, she joined China’s largest film and television media production agency, becoming one of the first CG production personnel in China’s digital media industry. She started engaging in Video and Media art as well as documentary creation in 2000. From 2001 to 2006, she participated in art festivals and art exhibitions in Europe with her works. She received awards of excellence in documentary film. From then onwards, she worked as an educator, a curriculum design expert and competition judge for universities, helped governments, institutions, and individuals in establishing connections and exchanges with the international creative field in the academic realm.

Nature

Asmita
Joshi

Prof. Asmita Joshi, an experienced professional in architecture, landscape urbanism, ecology, and sustainable development, holds a Master’s degree in Landscape Urbanism from Kingston University. As a Professor of Architecture at BNCA, she actively engages in environmental conservation and international projects, notably establishing the UNAI Hub for addressing SDGs. As Executive Director of ISDS, she advocates for sustainability, showcasing expertise in architecture and landscape practices. In her current role as the Executive Director of the Institute of Sustainability and Development Studies (ISDS), Asmita continues to champion sustainability and development initiatives. Her multifaceted expertise, coupled with her dedication to education and environmental conservation, makes her a pivotal figure in the fields of architecture, landscape urbanism, and sustainable development.

Housing

Mina
Marefat

Mina Marefat is a registered architect, urban designer, and architectural historian with a strong focus on sustainability, climate change mitigation, historic preservation and strategic planning for buildings, cities and countries. As principal of Design Research, Mina combines design skills with in-depth and original research. In addition to her practice, Mina is a published author and an exhibition curator. She has consulted and delivered lectures worldwide and has taught at renowned institutions including MIT, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Catholic, and Technical University in Vienna. Mina holds a Masters of Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard and a PhD in Architecture from MIT.

Planet

Martha
Fajardo

She is a Colombian architect and landscape architect with a master’s degree in landscape design and honoris causa Doctor of Letters (DLitt) Sheffield University, also CEO of Grupo Verde, specializing on landscape architecture, urbanism, and urban design. Martha is a co-founder and chairwoman of the Latin American Landscape Initiative (LALI), dedicated to safeguarding Latin American landscapes through collaboration across sectors. She also held the position of President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), spearheading initiatives in Latin America, Africa and expanding membership to India and China. Additionally, she sits on the Board of Directors of Nature of Cities (TNOC), advocating for resilient, sustainable, and just urban environments worldwide.

URBAN MENUS educational team

Catalina Pedraza Toscano

URBAN MENUS team member since 2016.

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