About the lab.
The Living Data Lab uses computational methods and creative research practices to document how cities are experienced, governed, and imagined — placing both residents and researchers at the center of what we know about cities and how we know it.
We recognize that data is political. We develop engaged practices — from how data is gathered to how it is interpreted — that make our work more responsive to the needs of cities and their diverse residents.
Through collaboration, we surface patterns that might otherwise remain unseen and allow residents' fingerprints, alongside researchers', to shape more livable and vibrant cities.
Computational Methods
Custom data pipelines, spatial analysis, and modeling tuned to civic questions.
Engaged Fieldwork
Studies developed with residents and partners, not extracted from them.
Public Scholarship
Articles, reports, and tools that move research into civic conversation.
Collective Interpretation
Workshops and convenings where data findings are read together.
We are committed to engaged research that brings the voices of governments and elected officials, community members, industry, and advocates together in shaping how data, technology and creativity come together to shape better urban environments.
For more information on collaborations, please contact the lab at livingdatalab@columbia.edu.