Lab Ciudades Strategic Plan


2022
Strategic Plan Document
Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism
Sarah Williams, Director
Prudence Robinson, Executive Director
Alberto Meouchi, Project Manager
Tarah Mohtadi, Research Assistant

Mota Engil México | LabCiudadesOnésimo Flores
OverviewThis multi-year strategic plan for the development of the Mexico City Lab, a research collaboration to be developed in partnership with Mota-Engil and MIT. This Lab aspires to address Mexico City’s most pressing urban challenges by creating a network of cross-disciplinary collaborators at the cutting edge of both research and innovation.

This strategic plan, developed by MIT’s Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU), highlights guiding values, outlines a roadmap for short and long-term research initiatives and programming, and provides guidance on operations. The enclosed report includes interviews conducted with groups who have carried out similar efforts in other cities, and conversations with project partners, government officials, MIT faculty, and other stakeholders. The Lab will be a hub for academics, students, innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and residents, who are committed to developing solutions to Mexico City’s present and future challenges.

The LabCiudaddes is shaped by three distinct yet interconnected pillars: Research, Innovation, and Civic Debate. Research, which is the foundational pillar of the Lab, is critical for examining issues from numerous perspectives creating the foundation for developing solutions with lasting change. Pairing research with the principles and tools of innovation allows for research to be actualized through prototyping, testing, and deployment. Creating opportunities for the public to engage with and participate in both research and innovation can lead to outcomes that have greater support and viability.
AcknowledgementsWe are grateful for the multiple conversations and interviews we conducted to help frame this plan, including meetings with Gabriela Gómez Mont, Kubi Ackerman,  Melissa Dittmer,  Mark Stabel, Eduardo Castillo, Laura Fernandez, Carlos Puig, Salvador Camarena, Carina Arvizu, Dolores Beistegui, Bernardo Rosas, Marina Robles, Paulina Campos, Gustavo Carbajal, Jose Castillo, Yuri Zagoryn, Verónica González, Carlos Flores, Bernardo Ortiz, Bernardo Baranda, Alberto Marín, Santiago Fernández, and Adriana Chavez.

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Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism
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