Laboratory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems

The Laboratory of Human-Environmental Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS) at EPFL focuses on the transition of urban systems towards sustainability. By integrating scientific knowledge from social and natural sciences with input from practitioners, HERUS applies inter- and transdisciplinary methods to analyze and optimize human-environment interactions in urban areas. Research themes include dynamics of urban metabolism, transition pathways of urban systems, perceptions of sustainable urban systems, and transdisciplinary research in sustainability transformations. The team consists of environmental engineers, ecological economists, environmental scientists, geographers, biochemists, and architects, collaborating on projects related to energy, mobility, housing, and food.