About us
Trajectory
QURBIS is a consolidated interdisciplinary research group (2021 SGR 00605) with an uninterrupted track record of excellence since its creation in 1999 as «Urban Quality of Life and Sustainability» (1999 SGR 00131). It was driven by members of two research groups at UPC, one of which is the Center for Land Policy and Valuations (CPSV), which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026 and whose current members operate as a UPC subgroup and will continue to do so.
Since 2022, QURBIS has achieved an exceptional level of scientific productivity, as evidenced by the publication of more than 120 indexed articles. During this period, the group has secured and managed more than 30 competitive research projects funded by national and international agencies, reflecting its strong leadership and ability to attract resources.
QURBIS is strategically positioned to address the housing crisis and urban resilience through a multidimensional, policy‑oriented approach aligned with the priorities of the SGR 2025 framework. The group combines internationally relevant scientific excellence with demonstrable social and institutional impact, ensuring effective knowledge transfer to regulatory design, planning practice, and governance innovation.
QURBIS's research agenda, led by Pilar Garcia-Almirall, is structured around five mutually reinforcing strategic axes.
Strategic axes
QURBIS offers analytical leadership in understanding socio‑spatial inequality and housing market dynamics by integrating urban economics, property valuation, and advanced spatial analysis. The group develops data‑driven vulnerability diagnostics and regeneration frameworks that directly inform housing policies, financialisation, and investment mechanisms. Its publication record, internationally recognised in top‑tier journals, supports its role as a reference centre for innovation in evidence‑based housing policy and for bridging energy transition goals with market and financial instruments.
The group helps strengthen sustainable regional development by developing predictive climate risk models, assessing critical infrastructure, and systematically monitoring building energy performance. By linking urban planning, public health, and rehabilitation strategies, QURBIS supports the design and implementation of adaptation programmes at local and metropolitan levels. Its research leadership enables administrations to put climate transition goals into practice through scalable, socially responsible interventions in the existing building stock.
QURBIS drives the digitalisation of the built environment by integrating BIM, GIS, and distributed data infrastructures, as well as by applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to planning and decision‑support systems. The group contributes to standardisation and interoperability of data ecosystems, which are essential for climate governance and sector modernisation. Its work positions the group as a key player in shaping digital transition pathways within the AECO sector, enhancing transparency, efficiency, and policy intelligence at all institutional scales.
Through inclusive regeneration strategies and the valorisation of underused urban assets, QURBIS promotes spatial interventions that improve well‑being and reduce territorial inequalities. The group combines participatory methodologies with evidence‑based urban design to develop transferable models that enhance quality of life in vulnerable neighbourhoods and territories. This work reinforces the integration of social, environmental and health objectives into sustainable urban transformation agendas.
QURBIS generates robust analytical evidence to support structural policy reform by combining spatial econometrics, territorial modelling, and regulatory impact analysis. Its expertise in land economics and socio‑residential diagnostics strengthens the decision‑making capabilities of institutions and helps harmonise housing and energy agendas with European competitiveness priorities. The group acts as a strategic knowledge partner for public administrations, enabling increased productivity, cohesion outcomes, and long‑term policy effectiveness.
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