DEPARTMENT
About the Urban Innovation Department
(MUIS) Urban Innovation Studio
Mammute Urban Innovation Studio
Mammute Urban Innovation Studio operates at the intersection of urban planning, design, community engagement, open innovation, and data science. Born from the need to modernize traditional urban planning and consulting processes, the studio leverages asset-based planning and collective action to design participatory, context-specific solutions for complex urban challenges.
MUIS specializes in asset-based urban branding, crafting cohesive city identities. By actively engaging local stakeholders, we uncover and amplify each region’s unique narrative.
Our vision is to build highly livable, human-centric cities. We achieve this by driving dynamic collective action, celebrating indigenous identity, and building powerful, asset-based urban brands.
Sina Ataei
Director
DEPARTMENT
Portfolio
DEPARTMENT
Our Team
Navid Falahat
Co-Founder
Fatemeh Akbarzadeh
Urban Planner
Mohammad Vahidi Borji
Urban Planner
Nafiseh Babaei
Urban Planner
Sina Ataei
Urban Innovation Studio Manager
Social Innovation, Narrative Reconstruction, and Branding for Future Cities
The Mammute Urban Innovation Department drives social innovation and unlocks local value by reconstructing community narratives, paving the way for dynamic and active cities. Our research and operational framework rests on three main pillars:
Multidisciplinary Expertise: A specialized, cross-functional team comprising urban planning researchers, urban designers, context-aware architects, asset-based branding specialists, spatial data analysts, and social facilitators.
Two Decades of Field Experience: 20 years of hands-on professional experience in urban innovation projects, social impact studies, local business development, narrative-driven ideation, narrative ethnography, smart city integration, and urban regeneration.
Commitment to Sustainability: A core dedication to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rooted in local identity, values, and cultural norms.
Merging Innovation, Urban Branding, and Community Engagement
By discovering local values, narratives, assets, and norms, our specialized studio team systematically analyzes urban challenges and opportunities. We design innovative, participatory solutions tailored to the unique cultural and identity contexts of each region.
Data-Driven and Identity-Based Urban Landscapes
At MUIS, urban branding goes beyond mere marketing; it is a multilayered process designed to strengthen a city’s social, cultural, and economic identity. Our projects are built on field research, data-mined urban narratives, and participatory processes across five core areas:
Interactive Field Research: Uncovering spatial, economic, and socio-cultural assets while identifying structural bottlenecks and competitive advantages using participatory techniques, narrative ethnography, and interactive mapping.
Spatial and Urban Data Analytics: Leveraging tools like ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, Tableau, R, Python, and advanced AI systems to conduct multilayered analyses of spatial, economic, environmental, demographic, and socio-cultural data.
Participatory Facilitation and Solution Design: Structuring collaborative ideation frameworks to co-create urban brand narratives with stakeholders, utilizing collaborative tools like Miro and FigJam.
Complex Urban System Modeling: Delivering data-driven models and Decision Support Systems (DSS) to guide policy, strategy, and project execution in local business development, urban regeneration, and identity enhancement.
Urban Landscape and Signage Design: Designing smart wayfinding systems, informative urban signage, environmental graphics, and iconic identity landmarks.
