City Science - MIT Media Lab

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City Science - MIT Media Lab

We work on new strategies for the places where people live and work, and mobility systems.

We propose that fundamentally new strategies must be found for creating the places where people live and work, and the mobility systems that connect these places, in order to meet the profound challenges of the future. We are investigating how new models for urban architecture and personal vehicles can be more responsive to the unique needs and values of individuals though the application of disen

tangled systems and smart customization technology. We are developing technology to understand and respond to human activity, environmental conditions, and market dynamics. We are interested in finding optimal combinations of automated systems, just-in-time information for personal control, and interfaces to persuade people to adopt sustainable behaviors.

05/06/2026

An honor to welcome Tea Master Soryo Matsumura to the MIT Media Lab!

We explored the System Architecture of Chanoyu and a select group of our team members experienced the tea ceremony firsthand.

05/04/2026

We loved hosting Zuriñe, Scientific Director of City Science Lab Gipuzkoa, at our Spring Member Event! She discovered new research and innovation, dived into interactive workshops, and witnessed live research presentations from her own students, Pau, Nere and Xabi, who were working at MIT. A special moment seeing their work in action!

04/29/2026

We’re thrilled to have hosted the launch of the Annexa’t Program with our collaborators from , Andorra Telecom, and the Andorran Government.

Learn more about the project here: https://www.ari.ad/projectes/node-urban-impact

04/24/2026

Exciting news! MIT City Science is welcoming guests from Andorra Research and Innovation, Andorra Telecom, and the Andorran Government to launch the Annexa’t Program: a strategic talent initiative led by Andorra Research + Innovation (AR+I) to attract, develop, connect, and retain Andorran talent through research, innovation, and international opportunities.

The program strengthens the link between Andorra and its students, graduates, and professionals by creating high-value academic and career pathways aligned with the country’s future priorities.

Tuesday April 28th
9:30am ET (Boston Time)

Learn more: https://www.media.mit.edu/events/the-andorra-talent-project/

Watch the Livestream here: https://www.youtube.com//streams

04/23/2026

We’re excited to welcome some new faces to the City Science group!

Christine Higgins, our new Administrative Assistant; Iván Piris Prieto from Tecnun – University of Navarra, working on urban mobility and accessibility with Naroa; visiting student Jason Kuo from Taipei Tech, focusing on robotics and last-meter delivery; and Pablo Fabra Mora from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, working on residential development systems modeling. Welcome all!

04/10/2026

This morning we had the chance to go behind the scenes at MIT’s Central Utility Plant. An incredible look at the infrastructure that keeps campus running every day.

Huge thank you to Joe Higgins and Jon Sepich for the generous tour and for sharing your knowledge with us and Christine Higgins for coordinating everything 🙌

03/18/2026

Last weekend we all finally gathered to celebrate Andres’s arrival and the start of Spring! 🌸

We’re beyond happy to have them both here—though, in true New England fashion, we weren’t sure which one was going to show up first! 😉❄️

Huge thank you to Maria and Kent for being the hosts and opening up their beautiful home to get the whole group back together.

12/22/2025

Happy Holidays from MIT City Science!

To all of our friends and collaborators,

As we wrap up another year of work together, we want to express our deep appreciation for our community. Your collaboration, commitment, and shared curiosity continue to shape our efforts to imagine and enable better urban futures.

This season offers a moment to pause and reflect on the progress we’ve made—from advancing new research to hosting workshops, exhibitions, and moments of shared learning across the network. None of this would be possible without your ongoing support and collaboration.

We warmly wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a bright, healthy, and inspiring New Year ahead.

We look forward to continued research and collaboration in 2026!

12/16/2025

The work argues that using LLMs to simulate human behavior largely remains at a behaviorist level, focused on surface actions and demographic cues. We argue for a shift from “behaviorist” simulation toward “cognitivism”, anchoring LLM agents in real, individual human belief structures and reasoning processes.

The paper was presented as a poster and published in the 39th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2025).

Authors: Chance Jiajie Li (), Jiayi Wu, Zhenze Mo (), Ao Qu (), Yuhan Tang (), Kaiya Ivy Zhao (.ivy), Yulu Gan, Jie Fan (), Jiangbo Yu, Jinhua Zhao, Paul Pu Liang (), Luis Alonso (), Kent Larson ()

Read full article here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.06958

12/12/2025

Gracias por la invitación a volver a casa y por una sesión brutal sobre cómo repensar el futuro de la ciudad. Madrid se prepara para acoger a más de un millón de nuevos habitantes de aquí a 2050. Can’t wait por seguir empujando este proyectazo con vosotros. Gracias y equipazo!!

12/08/2025

At COP30 in Belém, the MIT City Science Center and the City Science Network engaged in a series of events, exhibitions, and strategic meetings that brought together researchers, local and international stakeholders, global agencies, and cultural partners. Over the course of the week, the team contributed perspectives on urban innovation, climate resilience, and adaptive governance; across the Blue Zone, the EY House, and partner institutions.

From AI-supported collaboration frameworks to immersive Amazonian futures and direct engagements with UN leadership, the activities reflected the expanding role of cities in shaping climate action and the importance of interdisciplinary research in guiding this transformation.

Address

20 Ames Street
Cambridge, MA
02142

Website

https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/city-science/

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