Lea Holst Laursen

Lea Holst Laursen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology within The Technical Faculty of IT and Design at Aalborg University. She leads the Section for Architecture and Urban Design and coordinates the Promotion Program. Her research focuses on urban, rural, and landscape transformation through place-based, human-centered urban design.

• Expertise in participatory processes and democratic future-making
• Contributions to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 11, SDG 13)
• Active in drone-assisted urban design mapping and design foresight
• Focus on social inclusion and site-specific development potentials

Research Trends:
Recent publications highlight her work in participatory design methods, multispecies futuring, and the agency of built environments. Her studies emphasize rural youth engagement, spatial transformation of shrinking territories, and integration of new materialism in architectural practice.

Projects & Collaborations:
Current projects include Urban design mapping technologies (2022–present) and Desire: Designing the Irresistible Circular Society (2022–2024). She collaborates with researchers across Denmark, focusing on sustainable futures and urban-rural dynamics.

Labs & Teams:
Lead researcher at the Centre for Mobility and Urban Studies (C-MUS), contributing to urban design experiments and drone-based mapping initiatives. Active in the Urban Design – transformation & mobilities research group.