Personal profile
Biography
I am Professor of Urban Collaboration.
I have particular expertise in the areas of collaboration (between parties, groups and individuals) and participation (of stakeholders and the wide community) in research. This has often drawn on my knowledge of emerging digital technologies, where the associated research methods are driven by a desire to identify and make use of innovative ways to communicate with target groups.
This expertise has been developed across over two decades of work funded by EU framework programmes, Interreg and various UK-based research commissions. My research concentrates on the subject of visualisation and its use within public evaluation of open space, built heritage and urban design. My skills in relation to visual environmental valuation have developed through my leading significant externally funded research (grant value £3.5Million), and that research has resulted in over 100 publications. I am a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). I co-chaired BuiltViz across 2007-present.
I am a Chartered Surveyor and a trained chairperson and assessor for the RICS APC. I represented the RICS on the European Construction Technology Platform, and am a member of EPSRC peer review college.
Research interests
Collaboration; Participation; Co-design; Sustainable Urbanism; Architectural Visualisation.
Further Information
Education/Academic qualification
Architecture, PhD
31 Jul 1999 → 31 Dec 2099
Award Date: 31 Jul 1999
External positions
Dartington College of Arts
2023 → 2025
Birmingham City University
2021 → 2024
University of Derby
2015 → 2021
Research Group keywords
- Adaptation, Value, and the Built Environment
- Urban Futures
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
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SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
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SDG 15 Life on Land
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SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Rethinking engagement in urban design: reimagining the value of co-design and participation at every stage of planning for autonomous vehicles
Belkouri, D., Khairy, L., Laing, R. & Lanng, D. B., 14 Jun 2024, In: Archnet-IJAR. 18, 2, p. 393-408 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile57 Downloads (Pure) -
Being there: capturing and conveying noisy slices of walking in the city
Belkouri, D., Lanng, D. B. & Laing, R., 2 Nov 2022, In: Mobilities. 17, 6, p. 914-931 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)44 Downloads (Pure) -
An evaluation of sustainable construction perceptions and practices in Singapore
Yin, B. C. L., Laing, R., Leon, M. & Mabon, L., 1 May 2018, In: Sustainable Cities and Society.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
97 Citations (Scopus) -
Built Heritage Modelling and Visualisation: the potential to engage with issues of heritage value and wider participation
Laing, R., Jun 2020, In: Developments in the Built Environment. 4, 7 p., 100017.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile30 Citations (Scopus)52 Downloads (Pure) -
Co-mapping future scenarios and uncertainties amid climate crisis: A collective study of coastal towns and the Port of Tyne
Jin, J., Laing, R. & Zhu, M., 1 Mar 2026, In: Journal of Urban Management. 15, 1, p. 324-342 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile43 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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Civitas PORTIS
Laing, R. (Participant), Gray, D. (Participant) & Hood, C. (Participant)
2016 → 2020Activity: Other
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PAV Stimulating the Up-take of shared and electric autonomous Vehicles by local authorities
Laing, R. (Participant), Gray, D. (Participant) & Belkouri, D. (Participant)
2019 → 2023Activity: Other
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Designing our Towns and Cities for People, Living and Life
Laing, R. (Speaker)
20 Jan 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Keynote presentation: Built environment visualisation as a route towards community engagement
Laing, R. (Speaker)
7 Aug 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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Domestic overheating: What now? Why now?
Laing, R. (Speaker)
1 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Mobilising Interactive Cultural Heritage Trails in Urban Mobility Systems
Laing, R. (CoI), Wilson, S. (CoI) & Rogage, K. (PI)
3/11/25 → 30/06/26
Project: Other
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Participatory neighbourhood planning for the ‘Brown to Green’ transition in Tyneside
Jin, J. (PI) & Laing, R. (CoI)
Arts & Humanities Research Council
1/02/23 → 31/01/24
Project: Research
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Prizes
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Award Winner for Design Research for Healthy Cities at the 2025 Healthy City Design International Congress
Jin, J. (Recipient), Laing, R. (Recipient) & Zhu, M. (Recipient), 21 Oct 2025
Prize: Honorary award
Impacts
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Judging panel for the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2023
Laing, R. (Participant)
Impact: Pedagogic/curricula (beyond Northumbria)
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Invited keynote presentation to RICS Scotland conference 2023
Laing, R. (Participant)
Impact: Practitioners and professional services
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Workshop: Autonomous vehicles: putting people at the heart of the machine
Laing, R. (Participant), Belkouri, D. (Participant) & Lanng, D. B. (Participant)
Impact: Public discourseand understanding, Pathway to Impact, Creativity, culture and society
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Keynote: Emergency summit on Union Street, Aberdeen
Laing, R. (Participant)
Impact: Public discourseand understanding, Creativity, culture and society, Pathway to Impact