News

How much can digital data reveal about our cities?

Esra Suel — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 22:00:00 GMT

We have more data about our cities than ever before. This can tempt us to focus primarily on answering questions for which data is available. However, we shouldn't lose sight of the pressing issues beyond that, says Esra Suel, professor of Urban Analytics.

UZH Urban Analytics @ STRC 2026

Sun, 24 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

UNA presented two research contributions at the 2026 Swiss Transport Research Conference in Ascona: "Multi-activity, building-scale accessibility measures for Switzerland" by Josephine Roper and Xiang Han, and "A leisure attractivity framework for destination choice in travel demand models" by Stefano Benzoni.

Dr. Yahya Gamal Visits Urban Analytics

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:00:00 GMT

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Yahya Gamal from the Urban Big Data Centre at the University of Glasgow for a three-month visit to the group. Drawing on his expertise in artificial intelligence and agent-based modelling, he will work with the group to explore new approaches to modelling urban systems.

Dr. Janody Pougala Joins Urban Analytics as Postdoctoral Researcher

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Janody joins UNA as a postdoctoral researcher, bringing expertise in travel behavior and activity-based modelling. At UNA, she will contribute to our research on urban mobilities and inequalities, strengthening our work on flexibility in activity scheduling, location choice, and travel decisions.

Dr. Ye Hong Joins Lund University as Assistant Professor

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Dr. Ye Hong will join Lund University as an Assistant Professor in (Geo)AI and Regional Development. His research focuses on human mobility analysis and generative (Geo)AI for spatial analysis. At Lund, he will contribute to interdisciplinary work on sustainable urban systems and regional development.

New Team Members

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 22:00:00 GMT

We’re excited to welcome four new researchers, Josephine Roper, Ye Hong, Xiang Han, Frédérik Lavictoire to UNA! Their diverse expertise strengthens our mission to measure, integrate, and understand complex urban systems—advancing progress toward net-zero mobility, affordable housing, and human-centered urban futures.

UDH – Urban Data Hub

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 22:00:00 GMT

The Urban Data Hub (UDH) will provide data on population-level urban trends at fine geographic resolutions, enabling linkage across sectors and supporting the study of complex urban dynamics. The initial focus is on mobility, housing, and aging. The UDH is an interdisciplinary initiative at UZH led by the Digital Society Initiative (DSI) and Esra Suel, head of the GIUZ Urban Analytics unit.

New professorship in Urban Analytics

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

On March 1, 2025, Esra Suel started her position as Professor in Urban Analytics, establishing a new research group within the GIScience Center at the Department of Geography, University of Zurich.