Miho Mazereeuw Discusses Housing at the World Economic Forum in Davos

January 24, 2025

MIT Urban Risk Lab director Miho Mazereeuw was invited to the 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where she collaborated with leaders from around the world to advance thinking on climate resilience and urban design. As part of a panel with Madeleine von Holzen, Yevhenii Brovchuk, Anacláudia Rossbach, Nicholas Moses Ngong, and Mark Edward Rose, Mazereeuw discussed the impacts of housing planning and density on climate resilience efforts.

During the panel, Mazereeuw emphasized the importance of thoughtful urban development, particularly in relation to densification and zoning. She pointed out that tactically using safely-situated density that meets a city's housing demand can help prevent unnecessary development in environmentally sensitive or hazardous areas. In order to achieve this, Mazereeuw encouraged collective advocacy efforts to amend restrictive zoning laws and lengthy permitting processes that make it difficult to build such density.

In addition to urban planning, Mazereeuw highlighted the need for better disaster recovery planning. While wealthier communities have the resources to invest in adaptation measures, smaller towns often lack emergency management capacity, leaving local officials to handle disaster response with limited support. To address this, the MIT Urban Risk Lab is developing digital platforms and workshops to assist communities in pre-planning for recovery. By taking proactive steps, cities can ensure that rebuilding efforts after disasters align with long-term resilience and sustainability goals rather than being reactive and disorganized.

MIT Urban Risk Lab's "Porosity Hunt" Project Wins International Sustainable Campus Network Award

January 22, 2025

In January, MIT received the 2024 Best Practices Report Award from the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN). The ISCN's 2024 Best Practices Report highlighted MIT's project, "Crowdsourcing Building Porosity Data Collection to Support Flood Mapping and Resiliency Planning," as a notable example of innovative sustainability practices in higher education.

In the summer of 2021, the MIT Urban Risk Lab launched "Porosity Hunt," a citizen-science initiative to assess campus buildings' vulnerability to flooding. Participants, including students, researchers, and faculty, surveyed entry points such as windows, doors, and vents across 31 buildings. The collected data, encompassing 1,030 porosity points, was integrated into MIT's flood risk model to enhance simulation accuracy for various storm scenarios. Preliminary findings indicated that certain buildings and basements are more susceptible to flooding, informing MIT's Climate Resiliency and Adaptation Roadmap for future infrastructure adaptations.

This project aligns with MIT's commitment to developing a comprehensive Climate Resiliency and Adaptation Roadmap, as outlined in "Fast Forward: MIT’s Climate Action Plan for the Decade." By engaging the community in data collection and analysis, MIT fosters a proactive approach to campus sustainability and resilience planning.

Read more about this project on the MIT Urban Risk Lab website.

COPIN Presented at 2024 MCSC Symposium

November 20, 2024

On November 20, 2024, MIT Urban Risk Lab researcher Peter Hodge delivered a poster presentation titled COPIN: Cultivating Resilience Through Collective Community Mapping at the 2024 Annual Symposium hosted by the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC) in Cambridge, MA. The presentation highlighted the innovative COPIN project, a software tool developed to crowdsource data on disaster risks and resilience resources at the local level.

Hodge discussed how COPIN facilitates connections between small, often under-resourced communities and larger funding bodies, including governments and corporations. The tool has been tested in Thailand in collaboration with the Community Organization Development Institute (CODI) and Bangkok Bank, demonstrating its potential to strengthen disaster preparedness and recovery efforts.

The presentation also provided an opportunity for broader collaboration, as the MCSC Symposium served as a platform to engage with researchers and organizations interested in supporting the COPIN initiative.

For more information about COPIN, see the Urban Risk Lab website. To learn about other presentations at the MCSC Symposium, check out the MCSC website.

Project Contributors: Miho Mazereeuw, Aditya Barve, Mayank Ojha, Eakapob Huangthanapan, Pimpakarn Rattanathumawat, Rutvik Deshpande, Peter Hodge

Miho Mazereeuw Discusses Community-Driven Resilience Strategies for Aging Societies at Bangkok Urban Longevity Conference

October 31, 2024

On October 31, 2024, Miho Mazereeuw, Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning and Director of the Urban Risk Lab at MIT, delivered a presentation at the "Beyond Years: The Future of Longevity" Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. The event, hosted by the MIT Sloan School of Management's Office for Southeast Asian Nations (MSAO), brought together experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to address critical issues surrounding longevity and sustainability in the region.

Mazereeuw’s presentation, titled "Building Resilience for Thailand’s Aging Society: Community-Driven Approaches Amidst Climate Change and Disasters," showcased ongoing research and projects by the Urban Risk Lab. The talk explored how community-driven strategies can enhance resilience in the face of climate-related challenges, particularly as Thailand transitions into an aging society. The presentation also emphasized the intersection of healthcare and resilience development, aligning with the lab's broader mission of creating adaptive, community-focused solutions to urban risks.

The conference was attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who delivered the opening address and later listened to Mazereeuw’s presentation, underscoring the significance of the topic. Mazereeuw was part of a distinguished panel that included Nobel Laureate Robert C. Merton and Dr. Kobsak Pooltrakool, highlighting the global importance of building sustainable strategies to support aging populations in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.

For more information about the MIT Sloan ASEAN Initiative, watch the video produced by MSAO, which includes an interview with Miho Mazereeuw.

To learn more about MSAO, read this Thailand Business News article.

MIT Urban Risk Lab Presents Copin Project at Harvard Workshop

July 26, 2024

On July 27, 2024, MIT Urban Risk Lab researchers Prim Rattanathumawat and Aditya Barve presented a talk entitled "Building Resilience Through Collaborative Community Mapping: Insights from COPIN Thailand" at the International Workshop on Climate-Resilient Development in Southeast Asia at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.

The presentation focused on the increasing costs of climate-related disasters in Southeast Asia, which disproportionately affect resource-constrained communities. These communities often rely on fragile, informal economies and natural resources, making them particularly vulnerable to cascading effects such as loss of livelihoods and displacement. The talk highlighted the importance of fostering a culture of preparedness at the grassroots level to build resilience among those most at risk.

A key component of the presentation was the introduction of "COPIN," a digital toolkit designed for community-led mapping of resilience attributes in Thailand. This toolkit enables the documentation of essential resources, critical community roles, leadership structures, and climate risk data. By integrating local knowledge into formal response protocols, COPIN enhances local adaptive capacities and reveals hyper-local adaptation opportunities. Additionally, community-led mapping improves the socio-cultural understanding of the landscape — a dimension many official maps fail to capture. The platform also provides a web-based interface to make this information accessible for regional and national resilience efforts. This collaborative approach aims to enhance community preparedness, improve response strategies, and strengthen long-term resilience.

Find more information on the event website.

This workshop was co-hosted by the Harvard-China Project, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, the Harvard Asia Center, the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia, and the STORIES Project of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. It was sponsored by the Harvard Salata Institute and the Harvard Asia Center.

Miho Mazereeuw Selected as MIT's "Empowering Frontline Communities" Climate Project Mission Director

July 24, 2024

The MIT Climate Project has announced leaders for its six Climate Missions, focusing on urgent climate-related areas. Miho Mazereeuw, an associate professor of architecture and urbanism and director of MIT’s Urban Risk Lab, will lead the mission on empowering frontline communities. She specializes in disaster resilience, climate change, and coastal strategies, and her work involves engaging communities and governments in preparedness efforts. This new position builds on Mazereeuw's existing leadership on a project from MIT’s Climate Grand Challenges, aimed at helping communities prepare for extreme weather events.

For more details, read the full article here.

Collaborative Design Workshop Focuses on Tsunami Preparedness in Chile

June 8, 2024

As part of an ongoing collaboration between MIT Urban Risk Lab, Universidad De Santiago Chile, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, members of the MIT Urban Risk Lab attended a workshop on tsunami research and design strategies in Chile. Hosted by Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, the workshop, titled "Resilient Coquimbo: Urban Planning and Design Against the Risk of Tsunamis," took place from June 2nd to 8th in Valparaiso, Chile.

During the weeklong workshop, participants attended presentations by MIT Urban Risk Lab's Larisa Ovalles and Romina Cordova Grados on "Designing Dual-Use Tsunami Evacuation Strategies" at the University of La Serena. Additionally, Miho Mazereeuw delivered a lecture on her forthcoming book, "Design Before Disaster: Japan's Culture of Preparedness."

The group conducted site visits and fieldwork in the Coquimbo Region, specifically in La Serena, Baquedano, and Tongoy. This allowed students to document and understand the urban, social, and ecological challenges of these sites. The observations and analysis were then integrated into a conceptual urban vision and proposals for tsunami design strategies.

The second part of the workshop is scheduled to take place at MIT in Boston this fall.

Bosai+ Unveiled at MIT's DesignX Pitch Day

May 17, 2024

On May 17, 2024, Larisa Ovalles, Emily Liu, and Junha Hwang presented Bosai+, the culmination of their work as part of the 2024 DesignX cohort, at the annual DesignX Pitch Day, which took place at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, MA. Hosted by DesignX, a program focused on fostering design innovation and entrepreneurship, this event featured several innovative projects developed by a variety of cohort members.

Ovalles, Liu, and Hwang presented the mission, vision, and action plan for Bosai+, a startup that began in the MIT Urban Risk Lab and was developed as part of DesignX. Bosai+ aims to cultivate a culture of preparedness by designing dual-use personal objects with integrated emergency functionality. Examples of such objects include a ring that doubles as a whistle, clothing with dye that can measure UV levels, and a tote bag that can fold out into a waterproof and fire-resistant poncho. The initiative seeks to empower individuals to be ready for everyday uncertainties and emergencies without sacrificing everyday style and convenience — a goal that aligns with the Urban Risk Lab's mission to strengthen urban resilience through embedding preparedness in existing habits and practices.

At this exciting moment in the Bosai+ project, you can join in! Please go to the link below to share your ideas, learn more, and sign up for purchase.

https://www.bosai.plus/feedback

MIT Urban Risk Lab Researchers Present at Boston Design Week 2024

April 24, 2024

MIT Urban Risk Lab's Aditya Barve and Peter Hodge recently shared the lab's research at the "Open Design Studio @ MIT" event held on April 24, 2024. Hosted by Boston Design Week, the event took place at MIT's N52 building in Cambridge, MA. The presentation aimed to engage the community by showcasing the endeavors of the Urban Risk Lab and its core focus areas.

During the presentation, Barve and Hodge posed fundamental questions addressed by the lab, including the connection between bottom-up and top-down approaches, embedding everyday habits with disaster preparedness, and integrating preparedness into disaster response strategies. They highlighted various projects undertaken by the lab, ranging from physical prototypes to digital platforms and policy research. Notable projects discussed included the FEMA Shelter for Emergency Expansion Design, RiskMap, BOSAI+, PREPHub, and the FEMA disaster housing planning toolkit.

This event provided an opportunity for members of the MIT community and the general public to engage with the work of the Urban Risk Lab. The interactive dialogue fostered during the presentation aids the lab in refining its ideas while also establishing a connection with the broader community.

Bangkok's Songkran 2024 Integrates Live Community-Mapping Software "happining.city"

April 10, 2024

Collective Resilience Network and MIT Urban Risk Lab have teamed up with The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and Bangkok Bank to introduce "Happining.City," a digital mapping initiative for Songkran 2024. Accessible via the Happining.City website, the platform consolidates information on all 118 Songkran festival locations throughout Bangkok. The website provides detailed insights into each event's format, enabling users to pinpoint specific activities and explore various venues. It also shows alerts on road-closures to residents navigate the city during the event.

Happining.City encourages active participation by allowing users to share updates on water play spots, event ambiance, and traffic conditions in real-time. Integration with the LINE app simplifies the process of pinning locations, ensuring user-friendly engagement. Additionally, the platform offers coordinates for recommended Songkran destinations and updates on Wan Lai 2024 in Pattaya City, including beachfront traffic arrangements.

Supported by Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, the digital mapping initiative seeks to enhance convenience and safety during Songkran, fostering a distributed and enjoyable experience across the city. With a focus on community engagement and cultural preservation, the platform invites locals and tourists alike to partake in the festivities while contributing to the collective spirit of the occasion.

Bridging Communities and Corporations: "COPIN X BOI" Initiative Unveiled in Bangkok

March 1, 2024

Collective Resilience Network and MIT Urban Risk Lab's Pimpakarn (Prim) Rattanathumawat delivered a presentation titled "COPIN X BOI: a Platform for Matching CSR Resources with Local Needs" on March 1, 2024, at the "Multilateral Collaboration for Sustainability" event held in Bangkok, Thailand. Hosted by The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Thailand along with several other organizations, including The Board of Investment of Thailand and The Stock Exchange of Thailand, the event aimed to foster collaboration between the private sector and local communities for sustainable development.

Rattanathumawat's presentation focused on the initiative to bridge the private sector's resources with local community needs, particularly through the COPIN platform. This work is supported by The MIT Climate and Sustainblity Consortium and being developed in collaboration with the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI) and The Bangkok Bank. By partnering with the Board of Investment (BOI) initiatives, this platform, facilitates the matching of corporate social responsibility (CSR) resources with communities in need. Notably, COPIN not only facilitates resource matching but also serves as a data collection tool, enabling collaborative efforts to gather essential local data crucial for fostering sustainable and climate-resilient communities.

The significance of this project lies in its emphasis on enabling grassroots sustainability, addressing inequality, and enhancing community resilience through collaborative efforts between the private sector and local communities.

Bosai+ at Bangkok Design Week 2024: Integrating Disaster Preparedness into Everyday Life

January 27, 2024

In collaboration with Collective Resilience Network, MIT Urban Risk Lab researchers Pimpakarn (Prim) Rattanathumawa and Eakapob (Pob) Huangthanapan presented the "Bosai+ Exhibition: Designing for Everyday Uncertainty" at Bangkok Design Week 2024, held by the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) from January 27th to February 4th in Bangkok, Thailand. The presentation introduced BOSAI+, an initiative by the Urban Risk Lab, which focuses on integrating disaster preparedness into daily life through innovative design solutions. The exhibition showcased prototypes of personal objects that embed disaster preparedness, response, and awareness into everyday items. This initiative strives to foster a culture of preparedness and risk reduction, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures in the face of uncertainty.

For those interested in further updates and availability of BOSAI+ products, sign-ups are available through the BOSAI+ website.

MIT Urban Risk Lab Presents Housing Recovery Toolkit at Pre-Disaster Housing Planning Initiative

November 8, 2023

Larisa Ovalles Paulino, a researcher at MIT Urban Risk Lab, delivered a presentation titled "Innovation and Best Practices in Recovery Housing" on November 8, 2023, at the Pre-Disaster Housing Planning Initiative event held in Chicago. Hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the presentation delved into the development of the Housing Recovery Toolkit.

The Toolkit serves as a resource for local governments, aiding in the creation of a comprehensive disaster housing pre-planning process that aligns with broader housing and economic objectives. Drawing on insights from interviews with state housing experts and firsthand experiences of communities and survivors, the Toolkit emphasizes the importance of integrating disaster housing considerations throughout the planning continuum.

Ovalles Paulino's presentation included discussions of building resilient housing stock, streamlining planning processes, and operationalizing local preparedness efforts. The initiative, informed by collaborations with five pilot cities, aims to enhance capacity and preparedness at the local level by offering accessible and standardized resources through an online platform.

This presentation contributed to the larger mission of the Pre-Disaster Housing Planning Initiative, which seeks to bolster collaboration between state emergency managers and housing representatives, emphasizing proactive pre-disaster planning and knowledge sharing to better prepare communities for future disasters.

MIT Urban Risk Lab Discusses Disaster Preparedness with Japanese High-School Students

March 25, 2023

On March 25, 2023, MIT Urban Risk Lab's Saeko Nomura Baird gave a talk titled "Reducing Risk through Design and Technology" to students from the Ibaraki Prefectural Tsuchiura First High School. The main purpose of the talk was to emphasize the crucial role of design in enhancing safety and resilience, especially in disaster-prone regions like Japan.

During the presentation, Nomura Baird highlighted the gap in awareness about existing disaster mitigation mechanisms, such as public parks serving as evacuation spaces, despite Japan's proactive stance on disaster preparedness. The talk underscored the importance of integrating disaster preparedness seamlessly into daily landscapes and systems through innovative design solutions. By leveraging ethnographic insights into local culture and practices, Nomura Baird's approach focuses on making disaster preparedness an inherent part of everyday life, ultimately ensuring greater resilience in times of crisis.

The talk aligns with the broader work of the Urban Risk Lab, emphasizing practical solutions rooted in research and design that address the challenges of disaster mitigation and preparedness. By bridging the gap between everyday life and disaster situations, Nomura Baird's proposed methodology contributes to ongoing efforts to build resilient communities worldwide.

MIT Urban Risk Lab Showcases Design Solutions at Bangkok Design Week 2023

February 5, 2023

Miho Mazereeuw, Mayank Ojha, and Eakapob Huangthanapan delivered a presentation titled "Urban Risk Lab: Designing for Uncertainty" at Bangkok Design Week 2023 on February 5, 2023. Hosted by the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), the event took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The talk, part of the Bangkok Design Week 2023 Talk series, highlighted the Urban Risk Lab's endeavors in tackling disaster resilience and climate change adaptation through innovative design approaches across various scales and dimensions. Emphasizing international projects alongside initiatives in Bangkok and Thailand, the presentation shed light on the lab's significant contributions to addressing pressing urban challenges.

Through a collaboration with the CEA, for example, the Urban Risk Lab developed a pilot project called nicemap.info (later rebranded as happining.city), an interactive map-based website powered by the riskmap platform. This digital platform served as a dynamic resource during Bangkok Design Week 2023, offering real-time updates on events and relevant programs while enabling visitors to share their experiences through reports and pins. This multifaceted engagement underscores the lab's commitment to not only discourse but also practical solutions in enhancing urban resilience and fostering community engagement.

MIT Urban Risk Lab's work presented at APA World Town Planning Day

November 16, 2022

The American Planning Association celebrated World Town Planning Day on November 8, 2022, with the theme of "Think Global, Plan Local". Mayank Ojha, a member of the Urban Risk Lab, was a panelist at the event, where he presented on "Embedding resiliency in the design and management of cities". Ojha's presentation highlighted the importance of incorporating resiliency into urban planning and management in order to create smart, sustainable, and resilient communities and cities. He discussed the Urban Risk Lab's work in developing tools and frameworks to support decision-making in urban planning and management, with the aim of creating more resilient cities while emphasizing the need to take a holistic approach to urban planning, considering the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect a city's ability to withstand and recover from shocks.

New book chapter outlines lessons from RiskMap India for civic sensing during climate disasters

November 15, 2022

With the increased risk and uncertainty brought about by climate-induced floods and cascading disasters, it is essential to empower bottom-up informational networks and community actors as equal partners in scenario planning for future flood events. The bi-directional communication and real-time collaboration tools, such as RiskMap, can help facilitate a wide range of response activities such as community-led evacuation, emergency shelter registration, resource and supply sharing, and navigation for residents.

Based on RiskMap’s pilot in the city of Chennai, India, this invited book chapter outlines the lessons for the role collective civic voluntarism can play during flood events.

Barve, Aditya, Miho Mazereeuw, and Mayank Ojha. "Situational awareness for all: from sensing to collaboration using real-time communication in cities affected by climate change." Handbook on Climate Change and Disasters. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022. 663-675.

Magazine Beach Park Nature Center

October 24, 2022

Mass Audubon is the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England. Founded in 1896 by two women who fought for the protection of birds, Mass Audubon carries on their legacy by focusing on the greatest challenges facing the environment today: the loss of biodiversity, inequitable access to nature, and climate change.

Mass Audubon will bring the Nature in the City program to Magazine Beach Park, thanks to a partnership between Mass Audubon and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The Magazine Beach Park Nature Center is located along the Charles River in Cambridge. From April to November, Mass Audubon will host drop-in nature programs at the historic Powder Magazine building, which will also serve as a home base for school, family, and adult programming on and around the river.

The Urban Risk Lab is collaborating with Mass Audubon to design and create a series of modular structures that will house exhibition and educational content for Mass Audubon’s nature programming, as well as a snack bar to invite daily visitors and host large community events. The six structures feature interactive components to encourage curiosity and learning of the main species and ecosystems found in the area and promote climate engagement and education. 

MIT Urban Risk Lab's work presented at Universidad CEU San Pablo, Spain

October 18, 2022

On October 18th, 2022, the Escuela Politécnica Superior at Universidad CEU San Pablo in Spain hosted a lecture by Larisa Ovalles on the topic of “Reducing Risk through Design.” Ovalles presented several design projects from the MIT Urban Risk Lab, which focus on reducing risk and increasing resilience in the urban environment across scales - from individual action to community and regional strategies.The lecture was part of a design studio at the Escuela Politécnica Superior, titled “Ecologies of Intimacy: Borders. In Between Devastation and Life: The dynamics of the burnt forest and their communities.” The studio, led by Professors María Auxiliadora Gálvez Pérez and Valerio Oriol Canals Revilla, focuses on exploring the connections between architecture, ecology, and community.

MIT Urban Risk Lab at Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems workshop at MIT

October 6, 2022

Mayank Ojha, research associate at the MIT Urban Risk Lab, presented at the Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems workshop at MIT on October 6, 2022, during the session on "Climate, Life, Earth and Planet Systems". The topic of the presentation was "Localizing Climate Impacts for Sustainable Strategies". Ojha discussed the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, their disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities and the challenges they face in understanding and planning for future risks. He highlighted the need for more high-resolution data and better communication of information from climate science projections to enable these communities to participate in planning for near and long-term action. As part of the MIT Climate Grand Challenge, the Urban Risk Lab is working with communities to map local "consequence thresholds" and use this information to inform climate science projections and support collective planning and decision-making.