Landscape Architect | Researcher in Tactical Urbanism

Landscape Architect | Researcher in Urban Gap-sites, Tactical Urbanism, and Sustainable Placemaking

  • Pegasus Group

Contact details

Address

Street

First Floor, 20-22 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8JB

City
Post code
EH3 8JB
Street

29 Auld Coal Terrace

City
Post code
EH19 3JP

Availability

  • Available for academic collaboration, research supervision, and industry engagement. Please contact via email to arrange a meeting.

Biography

Background

Dr Roxana Karam is a Landscape Architect and interdisciplinary researcher specialising in urban gap-sites, tactical urbanism, and sustainable placemaking. With a background in architecture and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, her work explores the intersections between design, ecology, and community agency in shaping resilient urban environments.

She currently works at Pegasus Group, contributing to landscape assessment, design, and planning strategies across the UK. Her academic research focuses on the role of small-scale urban interventions—such as pocket parks and leftover spaces—as catalysts for biodiversity, well-being, and civic engagement. Roxana’s approach bridges theory and practice, embedding local knowledge, data-driven design, and policy awareness (e.g., NPF4) into regenerative spatial strategies.

She has presented her work internationally, including at the IFLA World Congress 2025, and is committed to promoting landscape-led design approaches that empower communities and respond to the climate and biodiversity crises.

CV

PDF icon 158853.pdf

Qualifications

  • PhD in Architecture, University of Edinburgh, 2025

  • MSc in Architectural Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Landscape Architect, Pegasus Group – delivering landscape planning, design, and green infrastructure strategies across the UK

  • PhD Researcher, University of Edinburgh (2020–2025) – explored urban gap-sites, tactical urbanism, and community agency in design

  • IFLA World Congress 2025 Presenter – presenting research on pocket parks as urban ecosystems

  • Member, Landscape Institute (Licentiate or Chartered – please specify if applicable)

  • Contributor, industry CPD events and interdisciplinary design workshops

  • Collaborator, with planning, ecology, and architecture teams on urban regeneration projects

Undergraduate teaching

Tutor, Architecture Design Studio 3 (Edinburgh College of Art / University of Edinburgh) — Sep–Dec 2015, 2016 & 2017 Supported student design development, crits, prototyping, and exhibition preparation

Contracted Tutor, Design with Data and Digital Media Studio Project (MSc level) — Jan–May 2018 & Jan–May 2019 Led two student groups in “Design with Data” and supervised another in “Digital Media Studio Project”

Guest Tutor, Technology & Environment / Building Technology (undergrad) — Sep–Dec 2018 Taught technical design tools, including Rhino and Grasshopper, and supported sustainable design integration

Postgraduate teaching

Contracted Tutor, Design with Data and Digital Media Studio Project (MSc Architecture, University of Edinburgh) — Jan–May 2018 & Jan–May 2019 Led two postgraduate student groups through data-driven design investigations in Design with Data, and supervised a separate group in Digital Media Studio Project, focusing on digital tools, spatial analysis, and interactive systems. Provided guidance in concept development, prototyping, and final project delivery, while supporting interdisciplinary dialogue across architecture, computing, and design.

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I am available to supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students working on topics related to:

  • Landscape architecture and urban design

  • Tactical urbanism and temporary interventions

  • Urban gap-sites and spatial agency

  • Nature-based solutions and biodiversity in design

  • Community engagement in spatial planning

  • Biosemiotics, data-driven urbanism, and affective mapping

I welcome interdisciplinary research projects that bridge practice and theory, particularly those aligned with sustainable urban regeneration, design for well-being, and ecological intelligence.

Research summary

My research focuses on the spatial, ecological, and socio-political potential of urban gap-sites and residual spaces, examining their role in sustainable urbanism and community-led regeneration. I am particularly interested in how landscape-led interventions—such as pocket parks and tactical urbanism strategies—can support biodiversity, enhance public well-being, and empower citizen agency in shaping the built environment.

Drawing from interdisciplinary frameworks, including biosemiotics, urban morphology, and participatory design, my work explores the interface between data-driven analysis and lived urban experience. I engage with policy frameworks such as Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and the Landscape Institute’s sustainability agenda, aiming to bridge theory and practice in both academic and professional contexts.

Current research interests

* Tactical urbanism and the reactivation of urban gap-sites * Landscape-led regeneration and sustainable placemaking * Community engagement and citizen agency in spatial design * Nature-based solutions and biodiversity in small-scale urban interventions * Biosemiotics and affective mapping of urban experience Policy-aligned landscape strategies (e.g. NPF4, LI climate & biodiversity priorities)

Past research interests

* Semiotics and biosemiotics in architecture and urban design * Autonomous habitation and experimental spatial systems * Architectural responses to climate adaptation and resilience * EEG and geotagged data in urban affective mapping * Post-human and non-human perspectives in design theory * Experimental housing and modular architecture (incl. work at Armadilla Ltd.)

Knowledge exchange

My work bridges academic research and professional practice, with a focus on delivering real-world impact through landscape-led urban regeneration, sustainable design, and community engagement. I actively collaborate with planning authorities, design consultancies, and local communities to translate research on gap-sites and tactical urbanism into practical interventions that support biodiversity, well-being, and spatial justice.

Through my role at Pegasus Group and academic presentations—including at the IFLA World Congress 2025—I contribute to interdisciplinary knowledge exchange between academia, industry, and policy. My research informs sustainable development strategies aligned with NPF4 and the Landscape Institute’s climate and biodiversity priorities, supporting inclusive decision-making in urban environments.

Project activity

I have led and contributed to a range of interdisciplinary projects spanning academic research, professional landscape architecture, and collaborative design. My PhD research developed a framework for reactivating urban gap-sites using biosemiotics and tactical urbanism, combining spatial theory with participatory and data-driven methods.

In practice, I have worked on public realm, biodiversity-led, and landscape planning projects across the UK, including green infrastructure strategies, LVIA reports, and regenerative placemaking. At Pegasus Group, I am actively involved in designing resilient, context-sensitive landscapes aligned with NPF4, including BESS farms, urban parks, and heritage-sensitive developments.

I have also co-organised design-led symposia such as [Digital Practices] and Control. Code. Construct., fostering knowledge exchange across architecture, landscape, and digital theory.

Past project grants

* 2020 Queens Award for Enterprise, Armadilla Ltd
– Awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement in innovation during your tenure as an Architectural Technologist and Designer

* 2018 Devolved Researcher Fund (2017–18), The University of Edinburgh
– Funded the organisation of the [Digital Practices] Symposium in collaboration with Dr Cristina Nan (School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture)

* 2018 Devolved Researcher Fund (2018–19), The University of Edinburgh
– Supported the “Control. Code. Construct.” conference, co-organised with Dr Cristina Nan

* PhD Studentship, University of Edinburgh (Oct 2014 – Jan 2019)
– Fully funded doctoral research: “Integrating Biosemiotics with Urban Tactical Navigation: A Framework for Novel Spatial Strategies”

Conference details

  • IFLA World Congress 2025 – Nantes, France (upcoming) Short Paper Presentation: “Pocket Parks as Urban Ecosystems: Sustainable Solutions for Biodiversity and Community Empowerment” Accepted under the theme “Guiding Cities Through What is Alive: Cities as Ecosystems”.

  • Control. Code. Construct. Conference – University of Edinburgh, 2019 Co-organiser and speaker. This interdisciplinary event explored the role of computation, digital media, and agency in architecture and design.

  • [Digital Practices] Symposium – University of Edinburgh, 2018 Co-organiser and panel facilitator. The symposium brought together emerging scholars and practitioners to examine digital design methodologies in architecture and urbanism.

Invited speaker

  • Royal College of Art (RCA) – MA City Design Programme (Guest Lecture, 2022) Delivered a lecture on "Urban Gap-sites and Tactical Urbanism: Community-Led Spatial Strategies", sharing insights from doctoral research and professional practice.

  • Control. Code. Construct. Conference (University of Edinburgh, 2019) Speaker and co-organiser, presenting on digital spatial practices and the intersection of data, design, and agency in the built environment.

  • [Digital Practices] Symposium (University of Edinburgh, 2018) Panel moderator and invited speaker on digital methods in architecture and interdisciplinary urban research.

Organiser

  • Control. Code. Construct. Conference – University of Edinburgh, 2019 Co-organised an interdisciplinary conference exploring the role of computation, spatial agency, and digital practice in architecture and urbanism. Supported by the Devolved Researcher Fund.

  • [Digital Practices] Symposium – University of Edinburgh, 2018 Co-organised a symposium in collaboration with Dr Cristina Nan, bringing together early career researchers and practitioners to discuss digital tools and spatial thinking in design. Funded by the Devolved Researcher Fund (2017–18).

Participant

  • IFLA World Congress (2023, 2025) Attended as a delegate (2023) and presenting author (2025), engaging with global discourse on landscape-led urbanism and ecological design.

  • All-Energy Conference (Glasgow, 2024) Participated in sessions focused on climate adaptation, net-zero landscapes, and sustainable infrastructure.

  • Landscape Institute Scotland CPD Events (2023–2025) Regular participant in CPD sessions covering biodiversity net gain, SUDS design, tree nursery visits, and sustainable materials.

  • Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce – Urban Mobility Forum (2024) Participated in discussions on the future of sustainable transport and inclusive urban design in Scotland.

Papers delivered

  • “Pocket Parks as Urban Ecosystems: Sustainable Solutions for Biodiversity and Community Empowerment” IFLA World Congress 2025, Nantes, France (forthcoming) Presented under the theme “Guiding Cities Through What is Alive: Cities as Ecosystems”, this paper explores the ecological and social value of small-scale urban green spaces using a landscape-led framework grounded in Scottish policy and practice.

  • “Biosemiotics and Tactical Urbanism: Reinterpreting Gap-sites as Communicative Urban Landscapes” Control. Code. Construct. Conference, University of Edinburgh, 2019 Delivered a paper on the theoretical integration of biosemiotics in tactical urban design, based on early-stage doctoral research.

  • “Digital Practices and Urban Agency” [Digital Practices] Symposium, University of Edinburgh, 2018 Presented research on the role of digital tools and spatial data in shaping urban behaviour and design response.

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