Research projects: Master’s programme U.
Universities as instruments of spatial development. An assessment of Thuringian state policy from a planning science perspective.
Semester: winter semester 20/21
Prof. Dr Max Welch Guerra
M.Sc. Urbanism, 1st semester. Research project
12 LP/8 SWS
Tuesday, 9.15 am – 4.45 pm
Examination: Final presentation
How can long-term spatial changes be assessed? How can we evaluate public development programmes? Such questions are asked far too rarely, even in the Federal Republic of Germany, yet the assessment of both seemingly spontaneous and deliberately engineered spatial development is one of the prerequisites for democratic and nature-friendly public planning.
Thirty years after the formation of the Free State of Thuringia, we are reconstructing the real-world and intellectual history of a policy area that has a great deal to do with us: higher education policy. There has been, and continues to be, hardly any coherent discussion of this, yet the expansion of colleges and universities since 1990 has been considerable. Once location decisions have been taken, they shape the state’s settlement structure and, in the broadest sense, its cultural development for decades. To what extent has this been successful? And what of Thuringia’s academic profile that has emerged as a result? How does this relate to the Free State’s shortcomings and opportunities for development? What responsibility does Thuringia assume in the face of the pressing problems of global development in nature and society?
Our subject matter is complex. We must take into account, for example, the interdependence of state and federal policy, the interweaving of higher education and economic policy, but also the independence of the universities and individual towns. The resulting configuration can be grasped fairly well in some respects – for instance, in spatial and financial terms – as we are dealing with visible Urban Design and verifiable public investment. It becomes more difficult when we examine the indirect effects of the existence of universities of applied sciences and universities. Policy evaluation criteria must be discussed, conflicting objectives taken into account, and broader trends considered in conjunction with specific measures.
The final report of our urbanism research project must be comprehensible and informative for the public in Thuringia. However, it should also highlight the field of higher education policy – which has hitherto been barely visible in the state – and, in doing so, offer guidance for the future that we can justify on the basis of the binding nature of planning sciences.
Ma. Study Project "EUS"
Community development: integrative approaches in European cities
Semester: Summer Semester 2021
Lecturer: Prof. Dr Frank Eckardt
Study programme: Target group: MA European Urban Studies, M.Sc. Urb, MA MediaArchitecture, ERASMUS+ Programme
8 SWS / 12 ECTS
Sessions: Weekly on Tuesdays at 9.15 am, starting on 13 April 2021. One additional session: online meeting with students from Riga on Friday 16 April, 12.30 pm – 6.00 pm
Venue: Belvederer Allee 5
Language: English
You can download the booklet PDF here
Urban planning has long focused on providing approaches to sectoral planning. In line with a modernist understanding of the separation of functions, urban planning has become specialised by examining the city through the lens of different spheres of urban life. In this way, the development of urban planning followed a separation of functions within society, where the economy, mobility, social life, housing and recreation were viewed as distinct areas, each with its own significance and framework. Only in recent times has this approach been challenged by a return to more holistic approaches, which have brought the interplay between all parts of the city to the forefront of planning. It is clear that everything planned in one sector of the city affects other dimensions of urban life.
In Europe in particular, there has been a strong case made for holistic approaches. They found their way into the so-called Leipzig Charter for the renewal of European planning, and EU programmes and institutions such as URBACT strongly support ideas and projects that follow an integrated approach to urban planning.
In this project, the integrated approach to urban planning will be studied and researched in detail and in an international comparison. Firstly, the project will examine the various ways in which this approach is implemented in different international contexts. Secondly, it will take a closer look at the situation in Germany, where the so-called ‘Integrated Urban Development Concepts’ (ISEK) are generally accepted in urban planning practice. Thirdly, the project will examine how this approach works in practice. A significant part of the project (as far as the pandemic permits) will take place in the city of Altenburg. Here, we will collaborate with ‘Integratives Zentrum Futura e.V.’, which is running a participatory project in this field.
This project will be carried out in cooperation with a European partner. It will facilitate an exchange with students and lecturers at the University of Latvia, who are working on similar projects in their home country. The exchange will take place mainly online, although (if the pandemic allows) some financial support is available from the ‘Stiftung für deutsch-polnische Zusammenarbeit’ (German-Polish Foundation for Cooperation) for excursions.