Academic year 2025/26

M.Sc. Urbanism
Research Project, winter semester 2025/2026

Professorship for Urban Studies and Social Research

A city for everyone?
Thuringian cities between social exclusion and solidarity

The general rise in poverty and social inequalities in Germany poses major challenges for cities in particular. Many people are no longer ‘included’ in key areas of life. Whether at work, in education and training, in the neighbourhood or within community organisations – the impression arises that local urban communities are overwhelmed by the task of social integration, given the overlapping problems of mental strain, exclusion, disadvantage and unequal opportunities.

But is this picture of the social situation in our towns and cities really accurate? After all, there are a large number of people, facilities, institutions, initiatives and organisations that provide very practical help and support in everyday life, thereby making solidarity a tangible reality for many citizens. However, the situation may vary from one town to another in Thuringia.

The student project ‘A City for Everyone?’ aims to investigate how processes of social exclusion manifest locally and what forms of support, solidarity and assistance are available. This should enable a discussion on how to further expand these services, based on a specific local analysis. The aim is to gain an understanding of the scope for action available to the various stakeholders in the respective towns. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the ‘Thuringian Working Group for Social Urban Development and Community Work’ (ThASG). During the field trip week, students will gain an understanding of the living conditions of people from various social groups in Thuringia.

To incorporate people’s needs into this analysis, various methods of qualitative social research will be applied. To this end, students will be guided and advised by the lecturers as part of the student project. Furthermore, it is necessary to engage with the processes of social exclusion in the city in general. To complement this, a series of public lectures (online) will therefore take place, organised in cooperation with the Ludwigsburg University of Education.

The student project is being conducted as a form of ‘public sociology’, whereby the knowledge gained from the project will be presented publicly to stimulate further discussion in Thuringia.

Research project is aimed at: MA Urbanism
Time: Tuesdays, 9.15–13.30
Lecture is aimed at:                    Students from all disciplines
Online lecture: Wednesdays, 18.00–19.30

Urban Inequalities and Housing: Discrimination, Politics, and Protest in Lyon

Semester: Summer semester 2026
, MSc in European Urban Studies, 2nd semester.
Course type: Study Project / 8 SWS / 12 European Credit Transfer System
credits Language: English
Lecturer: Dr Tabea Latocha 

The project focuses on housing provision and policy in Europe, with a specific emphasis on Lyon, France, and the ways in which the local housing market, institutions and actors reproduce or challenge urban inequalities. We will examine how (planning for) housing functions as both a mirror and a driving force of social stratification – through racialised discrimination, spatial segregation, gentrification and the politics of ‘who gets to stay’. Research in France has repeatedly documented discriminatory barriers to accessing private rental housing, making the French case particularly instructive for linking everyday experiences to regulatory frameworks and policy enforcement. We use the city-region of Lyon, France, as a ‘living laboratory’ to link macro-structures (welfare state arrangements, migration regimes, housing regulation) with micro-geographies of advantage and stigma. Focusing on Lyon’s unique urban landscape—from the gentrified industrial heritage of La Croix-Rousse to the innovative ‘sustainable affordability’ models of Confluence—we will investigate how planning may either foster or counteract processes of social stratification. Key research themes include racialised discrimination in the private rental market, the impact of the French “Right to Housing” (DALO) law, and grassroots mobilisations by initiatives such as DAL 69 and Locataires Ensemble.

As part of the study project, we will take part in a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) which brings together students from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Université Lumière Lyon 2 (Institut d’urbanisme) and BTH Karlskrona for a joint exploration of urban inequalities through the lens of housing in Lyon during the week of 20–24 April 20–24 April 2026. To prepare for this field trip, it is compulsory to take part in the online preparation session on 2 April 2026 (the first day of the EUS project). The BIP is funded by Erasmus+, which means that participants’ travel and accommodation costs are covered!

Methodological Training: A key objective of this project is to bridge the gap between theoretical urban studies and independent, field-based research. The curriculum is specifically designed to equip students with the ‘research confidence’ and methodological skills required for their individual research projects in the third semester. Students will carry out empirical fieldwork in Lyon in April. Following the fieldwork, the semester focuses on the systematic analysis of the collected data and the development of conceptual ideas for tackling urban inequalities in housing. In this way, we bring together planning and social science approaches to housing issues.

Collaboration and Project Management
The project involves a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) in partnership with Université Lumière Lyon 2 and BTH Karlskrona. Students will therefore engage in an international, transdisciplinary environment, adopting a decentralised management model. To produce the final research booklet, the cohort will be divided into student-led working groups (Editorial, Layout and Presentation), fostering professional skills in scholarly communication and project management.

Key Dates:
Kick-off (online): Thursday 2 April 2026.
Field trip (Lyon): 20–24 April 2026 (plus travel days: 19 and 25 April).
Final Colloquium and Presentation: 9 July 2026.
Assessment: Integrated research report/booklet (group mark), oral presentation, regular participation