Markus Schläpfer is an urban researcher whose goal is to gain a science-based understanding of cities and to explore how urban planning may foster sustainable development. Having a highly interdisciplinary background in both engineering and science, he makes use of the increasing availability of large-scale data on urban activities to develop a comprehensive view of city dynamics. He has published widely on the topic in leading venues worldwide and is currently applying his insights and tools to urban planning in Singapore. In his view, any meaningful planning intervention should consider the hidden ‘laws’ of how people actually make use of urban space.
