DPU summerLab
The DPU summerLab programme aims to leverage the reality of the city as a laboratory for developing socially responsive design research strategies.
About the DPU summerLab
Born out of the Building and Urban Design in Development MSc (BUDD MSc) course in 2009, and expanded in 2010 into a wider initiative of The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, the DPU summerLab provokes, stimulates and reconsiders the role of research (and design research) in promoting social, spatial and environmental justice.
Focusing on cities’ contested spaces, their mutable landscapes and visible/invisible thresholds, the DPU summerLab asserts that – to appropriately engage in this arena – a critical recalibration of research and practice is required. Contributing to such paradigmatic shift, the programme hosts a series of initiatives including design and research workshops, research fellowships, and seminar series.
Who is the DPU summerLab for?
The DPU summerLab is open to applicants from any background and institution. The programme is geared toward professionals, young graduates and current students willing to question their role, positionality and methodologies in engaging with cities’ contested spaces. For each workshop, we indicate a specific audience group. However, we welcome any expressions of interest. Please get in touch by completing the expression of interest form below and we will be able to advise.
DPU summerLab 2026 series
We’re please to offer the below summerLab opportunities in our 2026 series.
Open for application:
- London – NightLab (23-27 March 2026)
London – NightLab
A special spring course on night-time urbanisms and night-time urban strategies, designed especially for professionals working in urban policy, planning, and governance.
Dates: Monday 23 March 2026 - Friday 27 March 2026
Academic coordination: Dr Alessio Kolioulis (Associate Professor in Urban Economic Development at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, University College London)
In partnership with: Dr Andreina Seijas (Founder, Night Tank)
Confirmed guest speakers: Dr Anna Edwards (University of Melbourne), Professor Michele Acuto (University of Bristol), Julieta Cuneo (Greater London Authority 24-hour team). A complete lineup of guests will be shared upon activation of the course.
Fees and how to apply: Applications for the summerLab in London are now open. Please find the application form here.
Fees for Early Bird applicants are 790 GBP (deadline Friday 9 January at 11.59pm). Fees for DPU current students and alumni are 790 GBP (deadline Friday 27 February 2026 at 11.59pm). Standard fees are 945 GBP (deadline Friday 27 February at 11.59pm). Fees do not include travel costs, accommodation costs, and (if applicable) visa costs, which applicants are responsible to cover and arrange.
Discounted rates may be available for: organisations enrolling two or more participants; participants from local authorities, NGOs, community organisations, and nonprofit in general. Please write to Dr Giorgio Talocci or Dr Alessio Kolioulis for enquiries in such regard – please do so no later than the above-mentioned 27 February deadline, as we won’t be able to offer exceptional arrangements after that date.
About the summerLab
As cities continue to evolve, the night-time economy has become a vital focus for urban policy, planning, and governance. This course explores contemporary approaches to 24-hour governance, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of managing cities after dark.
The course breaks down the complexities of night-time urbanism and how cities can foster inclusive, sustainable and economically dynamic night spaces. The workshop covers key themes, such as an introduction to i) night-time urbanism and governance, ii) data for a 24-hour economy, iii) infrastructures, gender and safety, iv) the intersection of night studies and climate science, and v) initiatives that advance spatial justice after dark.
Through a blend of lectures, site visits, and a hands-on workshop, participants will engage with local experts and practitioners to practically assess the opportunities and challenges of managing the city economy at night. By linking theory with practice through critical examination of selected case studies, this executive course enables students and professionals to develop skills towards the management of cities at night.
A highlight of the course will be the Night-Time Strategy Design Workshop, where participants will conduct exploratory research on a public space in London, using methodological tools to evaluate its social, economic, cultural, and environmental impacts. Working in teams, participants will develop strategic proposals and present their findings to peers and local stakeholders, gaining hands-on experience in shaping vibrant and resilient urban nightscapes.
The NightLab is designed for professionals working in urban policy, planning, and governance. It is particularly relevant for those involved in policymaking, local authorities, and private sector stakeholders shaping night-time strategies or willing to know more about 24-hour economic governance. We welcome applications from postgraduate students, too: please reach out for any questions.
Participants will: gain practical tools to assess and shape night-time policies; connect with global leaders in urban innovation; learn how to develop and implement strategies that integrate safety, sustainability, and culture after dark; expand their professional network across public, private, and civic sectors
Tentative schedule
Please notice that, given the workshop focus, two site visits will happen in evening/night slots (6 to 9pm). In detail:
- Monday 23 (10-1pm and 2-5pm): participants will be exposed to an introduction to night-time governance through inputs by guest speakers and workshop coordinators.
- Tuesday 24 (10-1pm, 2-5pm and 6 to 9pm): participants will delve into night-time strategies, covering amongst other topics such “Lighting and Night-Time Design” and “Night Culture and Creative Industries”.
- Wednesday 25 Tuesday 24 (10-1pm, 2-5pm and 6 to 9pm): the workshop will discuss inclusivity in night-time planning, with inputs from policy work, on night workers servicing the 24-hour city;
- Thursday 26 (10-1pm and 2-5pm): the workshop will discuss night-time sustainability, including a lecture on Night and Climate Science.
Friday 27 (10-1pm): participants will present their night-time strategies, developed across the previous days.
Previous DPU summerLab programmes
- São Paulo, Brazil: Mapping linkages between sanitation and the SDGs
- Cali, Colombia: Exploring intersectional lives in ‘barrios populares’
- Saylac, Somaliland: Documenting built heritage and socio-cultural trajectories on the Gulf of Aden
Berbera, Somaliland: Investigating traditional constructive techniques, and questioning their current relevance
The DPU summerLab team organised a special online ‘winter’ edition in February 2021, which has reached remotely a number of designers, activists, researchers and practitioners. In a series of online live sessions – alternating lectures, discussions and design research activities – participants explored the realities of Aleppo (Syria, in partnership with ICRC), Berbera (Somaliland, in partnership with IRHPD and Redsea Cultural Foundation), Chengdu (China, with Urban Synthesis China Ltd.), in a comparative fashion. The workshop questioned how urbanism and forms of tangible and intangible heritage are affected by armed conflict (in Aleppo), infrastructural development (in Berbera), regeneration processes (in Chengdu).
Staff
The DPU summerLab is led by Dr Giorgio Talocci, and supported by a multitude of academic staff from The Bartlett Development Planning Unit on a workshop-to-workshop basis.
More information
If you have any questions, please contact the DPU summerLab Programme Coordinator via email at giorgio.talocci.11@ucl.ac.uk.