Cities are places of opportunity, sources of innovation and surprise. Within the SPIN Unit we explore the underlying spatial architecture and social foundations of these key urban qualities. This study is needed to help make cities even better and improve the effectiveness of new development plans. Through the use of our unique methods and digital tools, we can help create new opportunities, foster new quality practices, and envision new tangible spaces and innovative improvements of existing ones.

In order to tackle the complexity and dynamism of social and architectural urban features, we gathered a number of experienced experimenters and thinkers. By combining art and science, SPIN Unit has coalesced into an international network of academics and professionals. Born as an academic endeavour, it has built on the varied expertise of its members to find new and creative approaches to urban analytics and redefining the practice of urban design.

SPIN intends to differentiate itself from the larger landscape of urban activism and philosophy by providing, rather than a unified goal or the deployment of specialised planning techniques, a fresh and coherent school of thought. Describing the complexity of the relations and collisions between individuals and the city calls for an interdisciplinary approach. Our team have a genuine appreciation for the research activity involved in urban studies and regional planning, as well as the variety of methods and techniques it entails.

SPIN prides itself on its communication and presentation. Particular attention is reserved for the way results, methods, and expert advice are offered to the client and the public at large. We provide a visual and organic outlook on complex data sets, planning strategies and dynamics through traditional techniques, good design, and a variety of artistic practices.

The practice of city planning and society at large can benefit from our work. We aim to hack the invisible city, leverage the secret strengths of urban spaces, and explore how the many characters, all the different layers of the urban fabric come together.

Our interdisciplinary approach brings together different minds to tackle complex problems that span disparate fields of study and schools of thought, to produce a single and unique solution. At the same time, the fluid, eclectic nature of SPIN lends itself to providing a multifaceted outlook onto apparently monolithic issues in urban planning and social systems.