Urban Sociology Laboratory

The Laboratory of Urban Sociology (LASUR) at EPFL, led by Prof. Vincent Kaufmann, focuses on understanding urban experiences from a social science perspective. LASUR researches social conditions shaping cities, emphasizing daily mobility, residential history, suburbanization, gentrification, public space, and network management. Ongoing projects include studying public benches' impact on urban quality of life and implementing difference-oriented urban planning to promote inclusion in cities. Collaborating with partners in engineering and architecture, LASUR's work contributes to developing seating policies, analyzing urban planning mechanisms in European cities, and training researchers in rural-urban place-making.