M.Reza Movahedi

Welcome to my personal website! I’m passionate about exploring the world and embracing diverse perspectives about urban realities. As an avid learner and curious soul, with a background in architecture and urban studies, I enjoy engaging in meaningful discussions and sharing my knowledge with others.

Whether it’s landscape, climate, environment, art, or personal growth, I find joy in seeking new experiences and understanding the intricacies of life as well as the global issues.

I am eager to contribute my skills and knowledge as an urban planner and designer or an urban researcher, aiming to shape more resilient and inclusive cities for the future. So, feel free to contact me if you think we can collaborate.

Join me on this journey as we connect, inspire, and grow together!

My CV.

Urban Studies

My urban planning fieldwork studies and group writings at NTNU, Norway.

Architecture

My academic practices as an architecture student, and my professional projects.

Personal Blog

I will share my writings and point of views as well as my reflections on scientific articles.

Fieldwork study, Bødo, Norway

Exploring Saltstraumen: A journey into sustainable tourism in Bødo, July 2024

This is a short video from the Nord University in Bodø Summer School, titled “Sustainable Tourism Development in (Arctic) Coastal Communities.” I attended this summer school in July 2024 and created this video based on my experience.

Fieldwork study , Valencia, Spain

VLC summer school on synergic urban infrastructures, Sep. 2023

I attended and created the video for the “Valencia summer school on synergic urban infrastructures”. This summer school was supported by the Erasmus plus program of the EU. As it was such a valuable experience for me, I decided to document our group’s process into a very short video.

As I believe that all attempts to achieve urban transformation should be contextual, I attempted to create this video in the local language, Spanish

Fieldwork study short video, Kochi, India

Urban Ecological Planning fieldwork study, Autumn, 2022

I created this video, and it is an overview of our student project in the master’s program : Urban Ecological Planning (UEP) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway.

My Final Presentation at Nord University at Bødo summerschool (07.2024)

How I’m thinking about making a change … (different scenes from my different experiences in Iran, Norway, India, and Spain)

Regardless of the geographical location, I believe true urban planning and design take place when we sit down and try to understand the social environment, with a good understanding and knowledge of the ecological and economic environment.

1.
This is an image of a local small-scale industry’s underground work environment in Kashan, Iran, where I conducted my fieldwork research in Iran, 2018. For nearly 200 years, these small artistic enterprises have been weaving a special form of Persian silk, in a city on the famous “silk road”. Nonetheless, they are struggling with a range of challenges. They are located in the historical tourism district. They need someone to “listen” to them and help them resolve their ongoing issues with business. So, I believe that the true urban design develops when you meticulously observe, listen, evaluate, and engage in participatory decision making.

2.
This image is from the class “contingency planning” meeting at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, spring 2023.Our task was to pick a location within the city and design a blueprint for measures to be implemented in the event of a hypothetical catastrophic climate-induced event in the future. In my opinion, frank dialogues and brainstorming sessions with the individuals are the key to tackling the consequences of climate change.

I took this picture in our scientific trip to one of the southern Indian cities, Kochi, autumn 2022. When I asked the people in the photo for their permission, they happily accepted, and they tried to pose a good figure for the photo. In this region, a litany of environmental concerns and trials have cast a shadow over local communities, subjecting them to unwarranted hardships in their everyday lives. Our investigations have unveiled a glaring deficiency in communication amongst diverse stakeholders. What these communities yearn for, above all, is an attentive decision makers willing to lend an ear!

This image was captured during my Valencia summer school experience in September 2023, focusing on Synergic Urban Infrastructure. The standout moment of the summer school occurred when numerous local stakeholders visited our studio and engaged in discussions with the participants of the short-term program. They shared their insights and knowledge about the case study area, which was an abandoned neighborhood in Valencia. Our group comprises individuals from Lithuania, Russia, Spain, and China. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we all shared common concerns and reached a consensus on nearly every issue.