The Research Architecture for Transdisciplinary Knowledge Synthesis for an Urban Sustainability Programme: A Meta-Study Methodology

In today's globalized world, cross-cultural settings, projects, and institutional setups are becoming increasingly common, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Knowledge creation and management plays a critical role in addressing these challenges by facilitating the sharing of information, ideas, and best practices across different cultures and contexts. However, effective knowledge creation and management in cross-cultural settings requires a nuanced understanding of different cultures, as well as a recognition of the potential barriers to communication and collaboration. One specific area where knowledge generation and management is of particular importance is sustainable development in the built environment. As the world's population continues to grow and urbanization accelerates, sustainable development is increasingly recognized as a critical challenge that requires urgent action. To address this challenge, knowledge creation and management approaches that can facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices, and innovative solutions are essential. However, effective knowledge creation and management in this context requires an understanding of the unique cultural, social, and economic factors that shape different communities' perspectives on sustainability. Against this backdrop, this paper presents the set-up of the SURE Facilitation and Synthesis Research Project, focusing on the conceptual architecture for its synthesis research. Part of the BMBF funding initiative SURE along with the ten collaborative projects, this project facilitates the synthesis of knowledge about and the development of solutions for sustainable and resilient urban and rural development in Southeast Asia and China. The project focuses on the transdisciplinary synthesis of research outputs from the SURE collaborative projects, the identification of research gaps, and the development of knowledge generation and management approaches to support the implementation of sustainable solutions, while its primary goal is to contribute to transdisciplinary knowledge synthesis, sustainability research, and urban research. The project focuses on utilizing a multi-method approach that combines empirical research with artificial intelligence tools to analyse qualitative and quantitative data. The project team employs digital tools to structure data and turn it into accessible knowledge that can be used in transdisciplinary urban sustainability projects and beyond. The overarching goal of the project is to contribute to a new research approach that synthesizes knowledge in the topic area of urban sustainability.