New types of morphological research will be presented by distinguished speakers from the US, Portugal and the Netherlands, using state of the art computer and simulation methods: the Next Top Models. By measuring what you see, our intuition based knowledge becomes richer and innovative. New technologies for data sampling, analysis and simulation models will be presented. Today these are merely used by non-designers although they could also make the design work more challenging and efficient. Pros and cons will be discussed during the presentation of different computer models used in practice today.
The central questions on these days will be: How can a quantitative approach and the use of analytical models such as Spacematrix enhance the understanding of urban form? How can this increase the power of the urban designer in the search for more sustainable urban futures? What computer models exist, or are being developed, that can assist urban designers in their practice?

Expert Meeting 20 January 2011, Measuring Urban Form
This Expert Meeting highlights current research in the field of urban morphology with a special focus on quantifying its characteristics and performances. Special attention will be given to the performance differences between ‘traditional’ cities and New Towns. Differences between a ‘traditional’ city such as Amsterdam and a New Town like Almere seem obvious, but do we really understand? How walkable is Almere in comparison to Amsterdam? How dense and mixed are the neighbourhoods? How does all this effect the vitality of local centres? By understanding the performance differences, urban designers and planners can get rid of their first intuitive judgment and can start being more involved with defining conditions under which specific qualities (positive and negative) are more likely to be realized.

Programme
9:00 Coffee
9.30 Opening by prof. dr. Han Meyer, director of U-lab
9.45 Urbanism by numbers by prof. dr. Anne Vernez Moudon, University of Washington
10.45 Spacematrix. Space, Density and Urban Form by dr. Meta Berghauser Pont, TU Delft
11.30 Measuring the urban private-public interface, dr. Akkelies van Nes, TU Delft
12:15 PhD innovations: Birgit Hausleitner, TU Delft
12.30 Lunch break
13:30 Dimensions of the Sustainable City by dr. Teresa Marat-Mendes, Lisbon University (preliminary)
14.30 A causal model relating urban form with daily travel distance by Kees Maat, TNO Delft
15:15 PhD innovations: Joost van den Hoek, TU Delft
15.30 Panel discussion
16.30 Drinks

Master Class January 21 2011
The Master Class is led by professor Anne Vernez Moudon from the University of Washington. She is director of the Urban Form Lab and pleas for a scientific, quantitative approach to urban form. The Master Class will focus on the methodology of quantitative spatial research and deal with issues such as how to deal with more than 900 environmental measures to be able to understand patterns of clustering among variables.

Registration Expert Meeting:
The Expert Meeting is open to researchers and professionals in the field of urban design and planning. The participation fee is € 350,-. For Students there is a special fee of € 50,-. Register before January 8 2011 at info@newtowninstitute.org.

Registration Master Class:
Those who wish to participate in one of the Master Classes should send a project description of his/her work and a motivation letter to M.Y.BerghauserPont@tudelft.nl. Accepted proposals will be invited to join the Expert Meetings as well, free of charge.

Location Expert Meeting and Master Class:
TU Delft
Faculty of Architecture
Julianalaan 134
2628 BL, Delft
The Netherlands

Contact:
info@newtowninstitute.org