In 2024, I participated in a UCL research project focused on Tbilisi's urban development, collaborating with Ubani, an organisation dedicated to preserving and promoting the city's unique architectural and urban landscape. Ubani brings together scholars, architects, researchers, and cultural managers to build a comprehensive knowledge base. Through workshops, exhibitions, research projects, and public engagement initiatives, their mission revolves around blending artistic and scientific approaches to reevaluate Tbilisi’s development. Ubani serves as a hub where the rich architectural heritage of the city is explored and understood by local and global audiences alike.

Leadership through Contextualisation

My role within this project involved helping to contextualise the data findings of our investigative project and ensure they were understandable by a broader audience, not just those deeply familiar with urban planning or Tbilisi’s complex history. While the rest of the team focused on technical data, such as urban sprawl patterns and housing shortages, I sought to connect these findings to the city’s broader historical context, enabling a more holistic understanding.

For example, the unplanned development we identified wasn’t just a modern issue—it was tied to the chaotic transition period after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. Tbilisi's lack of a cohesive regulatory framework and the political instability of the 1990s contributed to the unregulated growth that the city still grapples with today. By drawing attention to these historical events, I helped ground our technical findings within a story of Tbilisi’s evolution, ensuring that even those unfamiliar with the specifics of the city could see how past events shaped its current urban challenges.

Using History to Broaden Understanding

A crucial part of my contribution was ensuring that the data didn’t simply stand on its own but was embedded within the historical narrative of Tbilisi’s development. Tbilisi’s urban growth is a reflection of larger political and economic forces, such as the rapid privatisation of housing in the 1990s and the neoliberal policies of the 2000s following the Rose Revolution. These forces reshaped the city’s landscape, leading to both positive and negative outcomes.

For instance, the data showed a rise in gentrification in central areas of the city, but it was my role to explain how this shift was driven by foreign investment and development priorities that often sidelined local needs. By linking our findings to the broader historical context of the city, I ensured that we weren’t just reporting data but also providing a deeper understanding of why Tbilisi faces the urban challenges it does today.

Ensuring Accessibility

In addition to focusing on historical context, I aimed to ensure that the language and presentation of our findings were accessible to a wider audience. Tbilisi’s development is not just a technical issue; it’s a story of transformation that affects the daily lives of its residents. By making sure the historical context was clear and by avoiding overly technical language, I contributed to making our research more inclusive. This allowed local stakeholders, international researchers, and the public to engage with our findings, regardless of their expertise.

Conclusion

Participating in this project taught me the importance of contextualising data within a broader narrative to make it accessible to a wider community. By framing Tbilisi’s urban development within its historical context, I helped ensure that our findings were meaningful to a diverse audience. Working with Ubani’s unique blend of artistic and scientific approaches, I learned how to balance technical and historical perspectives, ultimately making Tbilisi’s story of urban growth more understandable and engaging for all.