Research-informed tools as a science-practice interface for mediating multifunctional design: reflections from a collaborative design research studio

Abstract Urban design is under growing pressure to accommodate multiple ecological and socio-economic functions, yet translating the multidisciplinary scientific knowledge needed to support this goal into practical design solutions remains a persistent challenge. This challenge largely arises from the complex and often non-linear relationships between urban spatial patterns and multiple dimensions of urban functional performance. This study examines how research-informed tools may serve as a science-practice interface for supporting designers’ perception and integration of urban multifunctionality within a collaborative design studio. The study draws on a project-based design studio as an empirical setting, involving student participants from architecture and landscape design backgrounds who used a tool package comprising written guidelines and a machine-learning-based assessment tool. Questionnaire surveys, semi-structured focus group discussions, and model-estimated performance of selected design proposals were used to examine disciplinary starting points, patterns of tool use, and engagement with trade-offs and synergies. Across the studio, participants’ reported priorities and perceptions of influential urban form indicators changed, while the two tool components were described as serving complementary roles in conceptual framing and iterative evaluation. Overall, the study showcases a practical approach to translating scientific insights into design guidance, demonstrating its potential to broaden designers’ perspectives, moderate disciplinary predispositions, and support data-informed consideration of urban multifunctionality in design outcomes, thereby providing a basis for deepening understanding of the interface between science and design in sustainable urban landscape planning.