Urban Imagination Sociological Research Laboratory

Urban Imagination Sociological Research Laboratory (UISRL) is a woman-founded civil society organisation that combines interdisciplinary urban research with architectural design practice. The organisation conducts theory-driven and empirically grounded research on social, political, demographic, economic, and spatial transformations in cities and translates these insights into urban and architectural interventions. Using both innovative and classical social research methods, UISRL ensures that knowledge is accessible beyond academia and is actively shared with policymakers, civil society, media, and the wider public, informing evidence-based policy recommendations and applied projects. UISRL operates through interconnected sociological, architectural, and social anthropological laboratories, enabling integrated and practice-oriented approaches to urban development. With a core team of seven staff members and coordination of the Armenian Urban Researchers and Practitioners Network, the organisation brings together expertise from across urban disciplines. Previously, UISRL has conducted research and educational projects primarily in small regional cities in Armenia. The thematic scope of its work includes post-industrial urban transformation, urban crises, the impacts of climate change on cities, feminist urbanism, and related fields. The geographical scope of these projects includes Yerevan, Hrazdan, Gavar, and Masis cities of Armenia.