Ida Sandström is an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture and the Built Environment. Her research is centered on planning, architectures and urban designs abilities to support transitions to sustainable futures. Current projects include new housing typologies and their effects on loneliness and public health, existential dimensions of sustainability, and the design of urban spaces in relation to equality and human diversity. The research is conducted close to practice and in transdisciplinary collaborations. Previous research includes the use and design of public spaces, diverse urban communities, and the implementation of the Swedish Policy for Designed Living Environments. 

Since 2010, Ida has coordinated and taught in several sustainability related courses, at the Department of Architecture, Lund University and at the Department of Urban Studies, Malmö University. She is continuously supervising thesis students, primarily from the international master’s program Sustainable Urban Design (SuDes), at Lund University. Ida is currently the co-supervisor for two doctoral candidates, Thomas Nylund at the department of Architecture and Built Environment, Lund University, and Beatrice Galimbert at the Urban Planning, Design, and Policy Ph.D. Programme at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Ida is also co-leading a PhD course on Existential sustainability, within Agenda 2030 research school. 

Ida is leading the subject area Urban space, design and built environment, part of the interdisciplinary research network Urban Arena at Lund University. She is also the co-founder of Share Future Living, a a platform promoting cross-sector research and collaborations on shared housing. As part of her outreach, Ida partakes in public debates and is since 2021 part of the jury for the Swedish national prize for student housing. She is also engaged in evaluations, including Sweden’s national centre for architecture and design (ArkDes) practise-based research policy. Earlier experiences from practice include participatory design processes, urban redevelopment projects, and strategic planning.