Exploring today’s biggest urban challenges.
Our Labs are the research and development engines of IF/.
From climate change to housing affordability, demographics to economic transformation, cities face multiple overlapping pressures. These forces are not isolated; they intersect and compound, creating urgent questions about how we live together.
We have two types of Labs: Core Labs, which develop the methods that run through all of our work, and Thematic Labs, which focus on the intersections of urban challenges, where problems are most pressing and opportunities for change are greatest. Together they form a portfolio that adapts over time, responds to new needs, and creates space for imagination and action.
The Labs bring people and partners together to test ideas, create tools, and share knowledge — shaping more resilient, equitable, and imaginative urban futures.
Core Labs
Thematic Labs
[Core Lab]
Place Futuring Lab
How can we collectively imagine and shape the long-term futures of places?
The Place Futuring Lab develops the tools and techniques of IF/’s Place Futuring methodology, part of our mission to Inspire. It creates space for communities, practitioners, and policymakers to imagine hopeful futures: 30, 50, even 100 years ahead. By combining civic imagination with design practice, it fosters creativity, resilience, and collective agency.
[Core Lab]
Place Literacy Lab
How do we enhance understanding, awareness, and agency in shaping places?
The Place Literacy Lab develops the tools and techniques of IF/’s Place Literacy methodology, part of our mission to Empower. It helps people critically engage with, interpret, and imagine their surroundings: building awareness and confidence to shape the future of their places through practical frameworks such as the Place Literacy Toolkit.
[Thematic Lab — In Development]
Intergenerational Futures Lab
How can places nurture meaningful connections across generations and imagine futures that benefit all ages?
Communities thrive when generations connect, yet cities are often shaped around separate age groups. This lab explores intergenerational design, housing, and civic spaces that bring people together across ages: fostering solidarity, sharing knowledge, and co-creating inclusive, joyful, and sustainable futures that work for both present and future generations.
[Thematic Lab — In Development]
Resilient Neighbourhoods Lab
How can neighbourhoods build resilience in the face of increasing climate shocks?
Rising sea levels, heatwaves, and extreme events demand resilience, not only for climate adaptation but also stronger social ties, mutual care, and economic fairness. This lab explores neighbourhood-scale strategies: climate-adaptive design, ecological restoration, and social infrastructure that enables communities to thrive amidst uncertainty, supporting both environmental and social resilience.