Leadership in Action: My Journey with Ubani

When I started planning my project, I knew I wanted to work somewhere where I could make a meaningful difference, and where my knowledge and skills would truly be useful. To me, this meant choosing a place or organisation where I could both understand the broader context of the project and offer something valuable to a team that might not usually have access to higher digital skills. That’s how I ended up working with Ubani, the Tbilisi Cityscape Research Center.

Ubani focuses on preserving Tbilisi’s architectural and urban landscape, a city that has undergone so many transformations over the years. As a research centre, their current focus is on understanding how the city’s geography and history have shaped its development. On top of the technical work, I had the privilege of engaging with people who have the power to make real changes in Tbilisi - geologists and city planners with decades of experience shaping its development.

One of the key reasons I was keen to work on this project was its multidisciplinary nature. Working with a diverse team of scholars, whose degrees range from engineering to history, we each brought unique strengths to the table. While I initially expected to focus primarily on technical work, I soon realised that my Russian language skills played a key role in helping my Laidlaw peers connect more closely with the local community.

Tackling the Challenges

One of the biggest hurdles was the lack of available data. While cities like London offer abundant open data, in Georgia, things were more complicated. As such, we had to rely on data from unconventional sources, like scraped data from real estate websites. While this was tough, it also pushed us to be a bit more creative!

Another challenge was translating the data into something that would make sense for the public. We aimed for our visualisations to be both informative and accessible, which wasn’t easy given the complex socio-economic issues we hoped to illustrate. Tbilisi’s development isn’t just shaped by geography; it’s deeply influenced by history, politics, and economics. Simplifying all of that into visuals the average person could understand was one of the toughest, but most rewarding, parts of the project.

Surprises Along the Way

I didn’t expect the level of support we received from the team at Ubani. Instead of the high-pressure environments I am used to, I found myself surrounded by a group of people who genuinely wanted us to succeed. The creative control and full trust made a huge difference in how I approached the work. It allowed me the freedom to experiment and try new things without the fear of making mistakes.

Impact and Reflection

What stood out to me most about this project was its potential for real impact. We weren’t just doing research for the sake of it; we were trying to empower the people of Tbilisi. By visualising the data we collected, we aimed to give residents a better understanding of how their city is evolving. More importantly, we wanted to show them that they could play an active role in that process - whether by getting involved in local urban planning or simply by staying informed about the changes happening around them.

On a personal level, this experience taught me a lot about leadership and collaboration. I realised how crucial adaptability is. I learned to listen more, step back when necessary, and trust in the skills of the people around me. One key takeaway, especially evident through the difficulty of obtaining data from the Georgian government, was the importance of minimising external dependencies wherever possible. In future projects, I’ll be more mindful of keeping things lean and focusing on working with people who share the same goals and values.

Looking Ahead

As I reflect on this experience, I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved with Ubani, but I know there’s more to be done. The project is ongoing, and I hope to continue working with the team to push it further. My hope is that with time, we’ll gain more support from the local government, and access to more comprehensive data will allow us to deepen the insights we can offer.

For me, working with Ubani was an opportunity to immerse myself in a new environment and contribute to something truly meaningful.