Taki Sonbli

Taki Sonbli

Dr

  • 1.62 HBS Building, HBS Building

    M13 9Pl Manchester

Personal profile

Overview

I am the urban design technical lead at the University of Manchester, and Manchester Urban Design Lab (MUD-Lab) Manager. I hold a PhD and MSc in Planning and Landscape from the University of Manchester, and a Bachelor degree in architectural engineering from Homs University (Syria).  I hold the status of Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy  (HEA) in recognition of advanced teaching skills within the UK Professional Standards Framework. I have been a member of the Urban Design team at the University of Manchester since September 2012. In addition to managing Mudlab and its facilities, I have over ten years experience in teaching visualization via hand and design softwares (Ai, Ps, Id, CAD, Br, SketchUp, Twinmotion).

I have designed MUD-Lab technical curriculum and the technical toolkits, and the essential supporting technical tutorials, and I am delivering this via a year-long module called Urban Design Applied Skills. My current role includes designing and delivering lectures, managing the urban design studio and MUD Lab 3D modelling facilities, designing and presenting urban design exercises, leading seminars, supervising dissertations, teaching visualization techniques, marking assignments, designing and editing the Urban Design Yearbook, and developing/authoring the University of Manchester Urban Design Toolkit.  

I am mainly interested in the Foucauldian social construction of the urban environment and the effect of context on urban design and planning policies. I am also interested in exploring the graphical language of urban spaces. In addition to my technical experience, I have published academic papers and books (The Urban Design Process [2019] & Applied Urban Design: A Contextually Responsive Approach [2025]).

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Keywords

  • nch

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