My favourite project in Weimar

I worked on many great projects in Weimar, making it difficult to single out just one to write about. For the past ten months, I collaborated with my colleague Hannah Müller on a research project with a focus on »Caring Cities«, in which we analysed and categorised the international state of research and implementation in this area. The subject was incredibly engaging and will undoubtedly keep us busy moving forward.

Alongside the many insightful lectures, seminars and planning projects offered in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Urban Studies, I will always cherish the memory of my initial study project, a »research project« in the Master’s programme in Urban Studies. The focus was on the transformation of small towns in Lusatia. Together with students from a variety of disciplines, I first needed to collaborate with them to conceptualise what a research project actually entails within the framework of the Master’s programme in Urban Studies. The incredible results were both wide-ranging and thought-provoking.

Among the projects I collaborated on with colleagues, I had a particularly wonderful experience as part of the »Parasol« series in the summer semester of 2023: We held five meetings under the sunshade next to the Bauhaus Studio, where my colleagues Grischa Bertram, Mona Mahall, Dorothee Rummel and I engaged in conversation with students about their projects. It ended up being a genuine interdisciplinary exchange that embodied the true spirit of Bauhaus. Last but not least, the series of talks on the future of European urban studies that took place last summer semester with my colleague Daniela Zupan in celebration of the IfEU anniversary offered an excellent platform for exchanging ideas with fellow colleagues and students.

What I will miss

I found the inspiring discussions with colleagues at the professorship and faculty to be incredibly enriching, and I felt really comfortable as a member of the wonderful team. Additionally, the close proximity of everything in Weimar and at the Bauhaus-Universität added to the overall positive experience.

What I will take with me from my time in Weimar

Alongside the valuable insights gained from my research and teaching experiences that have contributed to my personal and professional growth, I am leaving Weimar with fresh new perspectives on how to more effectively integrate and connect socio-political engagement with research and teaching. One example of this is the »Spaces in Transformation in Thuringia« (Räume in Transformation in Thüringen, RiTT) initiative, which was launched by the Social-Ecological Spatial Research (Sozialökologische Raumforschung, SÖRF) working group led by Hendrik Sander and is associated with a New European Bauhaus (Neues Europäisches Bauhaus, NEB) regional laboratory. Starting from the upcoming winter semester, several professorships within the Urban Studies degree programmes will collaborate to offer their courses in the Thuringian Forest region. This will involve design, planning and teaching research projects being conducted from various perspectives in cooperation with local stakeholders. Ultimately, this will not only foster new partnerships but also pave the way for entirely new approaches to participatory teaching and research.

What I am especially excited about in the future

I received a very warm welcome from all my colleagues in Weimar, and I truly appreciate the kindness extended to me! However, as a deputy professor, my creative latitude was inherently limited. In this respect, I’m looking forward to taking back my »own« position, one that gives me real room for manoeuvre. I’m also looking forward to getting together with my colleagues in Dortmund and having the opportunity to exchange ideas in person rather than just communicating online with the members of my research project, LoKoNet, a network that focuses on transdisciplinary conflict research and management.