Space Syntax - Principles and Practice for Urban Resilience

This free in person event arranged by the RIBA Gulf Chapter with the University of Birmingham, Dubai will be :

Introduced by: Andy Shaw, RIBA – Managing Partner of AMA and Chair of the RIBA Gulf Chapter

Hosted by: The University of Birmingham, Academic City, Dubai, UAE with Dr Mohammad Radfar, AoU - Associate Professor of Sustainable Urban Design.

And Moderated by: Sandra Woodall, FRIBA, FRSA, AoU, MAPM - Design Principal of tangramMENA and UAE Representative of the RIBA Gulf Chapter.

In Partnership with the Academy of Urbanism the RIBA Gulf Chapter brings our first Evening of Urbanism of 2026, with Guest Speaker Tim Stonor, RIBA, AoU of global consultancy Space Syntax.

In this talk, Tim will describe a set of risks being faced by cities worldwide, and by using case studies from across the Gulf region, he will illustrate the data-driven approach to urban planning and architectural design pioneered by Space Syntax over the last 35 years.

Speaker Bio: Tim Stonor is an architect and urban planner specialising in the analysis and design of human behaviour patterns – the ways in which people move, interact and transact in buildings and urban places. He is recognised internationally for his work in the development and application of data-driven design techniques, including generative AI, to create places in which human life thrives.

Tim was appointed Managing Director of Space Syntax in 1995. He has led this architectural and urban planning practice from its origins at The Bartlett, University College London to its position today as a company operating globally.

He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Norman Foster Foundation and a former Deputy Chair and Trustee at the UK Design Council, where he is now an Ambassador. He is also a founding member and former director of The Academy of Urbanism, a Visiting Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, and a Harvard Loeb Fellow.

Tim is a popular keynote speaker, chair and panellist at events online and throughout the world. He acts as a jury member in international planning and design competitions, and as a senior advisor to public and private clients.