Aura Istrate

Background

About Aura Istrate

I am a Lecturer in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at the University College Dublin (UCD). I am concerned with sustainable urbanism, conducting multiscale interdisciplinary research on topics of active mobility, liveable streets,(green) public space design and use, and nature-based solutions in cities, employing participatory, geospatial, and other mixed methods to inform smart communities and the transition to climate-neutral cities. I am a Primary Coordinator of a Horizon MSCA Doctoral Network (C-NEWTRAL) paving the way to climate-neutral cities and Co-Investigator in another Horizon Europe project (REALLOCATE) focusing on rethinking the design of streets and public spaces to leverage modal shifts towards climate-friendly active mobility in 10 European Cities. I am involved as a team member in several other projects, looking, for instance, into engaging citizens and stakeholders in co-creating solutions for an upgraded use of green public spaces post-pandemic for improved health and wellbeing. I am teaching various GIS and urban design and planning modules, shaped as theoretical courses (Introduction to Spatial Planning, CDIC), practice and research-led seminars (GIS and Planning; Local Area Development and Planning, CDIC), or studios (Local Planning Studio, UCD).