Marianna Cavada

Marianna Cavada is a Senior Lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA), where she leads the MA Architecture & Urbanism program as the Prototype Urbanism Lab Lead and serves as the Department International Lead. Her research focuses on AI-driven urbanism, smart and liveable cities, and policy design for sustainable urban transformation.

• Education:
  • PhD in Civil Engineering (2019, University of Birmingham)
  • PG Dip Architecture (International) RIBA II (2008, Huddersfield University)
  • BA Hons Architecture RIBA I (2005, Huddersfield University)
  • BA Hons Interior Design (2001, De Montfort University)

Marianna bridges theoretical and practical urbanism through collaborations with local policymakers (Lancaster City Council, Karystos Municipality) and international bodies like the WHO. Her work addresses inequality, climate emergency, and global health within the UN Sustainable Development Goals framework. She contributed to the British Academy-funded 'Caring-with Cities' project and EPSRC initiatives including Liveable Cities and the Green Infrastructure Corridors program.

Her research outputs include the book The Little Book of Smart Cities and publications on topics ranging from CO2 emissions in smart cities to gamification in post-pandemic urban evaluation. Marianna has presented at institutions such as the University of Birmingham, Donghua University, and Xi’an Jiaotong University, and has led workshops like the Smart Cities Alliance in Birmingham.

• Key Scientific Awards:
  • First Prize – Peter Stead Award (2008)
  • Higher Commendation in PG Dip Architecture (2008)

Marianna supervises PhD projects in AI Urbanism, Smart Cities, Liveable Cities, and Urban Engineering. Her professional background includes architectural practice in the UK (ATKINS), UAE (Al Falah project), and China (GDG Ltd, Twin Cities), alongside academic roles at the University of Birmingham and Lancaster School of Architecture.

She operates from the Manchester Technology Centre and maintains memberships in the International Society for Urban Health and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).