Professor Marcial Echenique has been awarded the Doctor of Science (ScD) from Cambridge University. This higher degree marks a long and important career developing computer models of cities and applying them in a variety of forms of planning practice.

As a pioneer of integrating land use and transportation models, he began his work in the Land Use and Building Studies Group in the Department of Architecture at Cambridge; this was to become the Martin Centre for Research in Architecture and Urban Studies. Later he went to develop an integrative approach across a variety of disciplines to consider the future form of cities, particularly with respect to designing for a low carbon future. He was Principal Investigator for several large research projects, including ‘Cambridge Futures’, and the EPSRC-funded ‘SOLUTIONS:  Sustainable Land Use and Transport’ and ‘ReVISIONS: Regional Visions of Sustainable Infrastructure Optimised for Neighbourhoods’.

In reviewing his accomplishments for the ScD, Professor Michael Wegener of the Technical University of Dortmund has stated: ‘Echenique’s urban models ‘have significantly advanced the state of the art, and their application in developing and developed countries has greatly contributed to the effectiveness and rationality of urban planning’