The Remaking Cities Institute (RCI) is an urban design research center in Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It conducts international research in place-making, citizen participation planning processes, and sustainable development.
About the Institute
In 2006, the Remaking Cities Institute (RCI) was created to enhance the relationship between research, academic work, and urban development for both the Pittsburgh region and internationally. The RCI was created in response to the Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture's Urban Laboratory, an urban design studio that focuses on projects in the Pittsburgh region. The Urban Laboratory, founded in 1963 by urban designer David Lewis, FAIA, engages government officials, design professionals, community groups, and concerned citizens in a collective visioning process for numerous communities in the Pittsburgh region.
The RCI documents and researches best practices in urban design internationally and seeks to advance the theory and practice of urban design. The Institute regularly engages in funded research projects that test and evaluate innovative approaches to place-making, community development, and sustainable development. Responsible economic and community development to regenerate neighborhoods and regions is a primary goal of RCI studies. Research by the RCI is also driven by population projections for cities in the future and the recognition that urban population growth will create both problems and opportunities for cities.
The mission of the RCI includes: 1) international research in urbanism, 2) education in urbanism, and 3) Pittsburgh regional impact.