Simeon Shtebunaev is an interdisciplinary researcher in the built environment. Simeon’s PhD project at Birmingham City University explores how young people engage in the planning of future ‘smart’ cities. He was a principal investigator on the AHRC funded project “Are you game for climate action?” developing the board game Climania with young people focusing on the role of the built environment in climate change. Simeon holds BA(Hons) Architecture and MArch Architecture and Town Planning from the University of Sheffield.
Simeon is a Senior Researcher in Social Life, PhD candidate and Visiting Lecturer in urban planning at Birmingham City University, Visiting Lecturer in urban design at Leeds Beckett University, a Design Council Expert and a co-founder of Urban Imaginarium. Simeon was selected as the RIBAJ Rising Star 2021 and RTPI Young Planner of the Year 2022. Simeon is the Young Planner trustee of the RTPI and chairs the Cultural Infrastructure and Investment working group part of the WMCA Cultural Leadership Board.
Simeon’s professional interests and expertise are in the areas of climate action, climate literacy and community engagement. He works in the areas of social sustainability, architecture and urban planning, cultural developments and arts-led research methods, youth inclusion, future city visions, education research and enabling citizen participation within the built environment.
Memberships:
Licentiate of the RTPI
Associate of the RIBA
Young Urbanist at the Academy of Urbanism
Recent Publications:
– Living in Grahame Park, 2024: https://www.social-life.co/publication/living_in_grahame_park/
– Shtebunaev, S., Gullino, S., & Larkham, P. (2023). Planning the Smart City With Young People: Teenagers’ Perceptions, Values and Visions of Smartness. Urban Planning, 8(2), 57-69. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i2.6411