Federico Cugurullo

Federico Cugurullo is Assistant Professor in Smart and Sustainable Urbanism at Trinity College Dublin. His research is positioned at the intersection of urban geography, political philosophy and experimental urbanism, and explores how ideas of sustainability are cultivated and implemented, with a focus on projects for smart and eco-cities.

He is currently researching how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting on urban governance and planning, thereby influencing the sustainability of cities.

Federico has done extensive empirical research in the Middle East and Southeast Asia where he has investigated the sustainability performance of supposedly experimental cities such as Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong. His work has been used by the United Nations and the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to foresee future urban challenges and develop preventive policies.

Building upon his empirical research on AI, Federico has contributed to the development of the theory of autonomous urbanism. Other theoretical contributions include the concept of urban eco-modernisation, the notion of urban artificial intelligence, the development of urban equations and the critical theory of Frankenstein Urbanism.

Before joining Trinity College Dublin, Federico held positions at the University of Manchester, King's College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science.