SPACES OF TRANSFORMATION

Lusatia has been undergoing profound structural change for many years and will continue to do so for many years to come. The aim of the research focus Transformation Spaces is to examine the structural-spatial, social, ecological, economic, technological and cultural developments of cities and regions and the transformation processes triggered by them in context in order to develop holistic and innovative approaches to solving urgent questions about the future. The study of structural change in Lusatia is a major regional focus.

Together with Faculty 5, the Institute of Urban Planning plans to establish a Center for Structural Change and Regional Development (ZeStuR) as an address in the region. Through the center, an internationally visible, interdisciplinary research expertise on issues of structural change will be established, so that other structural change regions can benefit and learn from the insights gained here. The ZeStuR is thus making a significant contribution to realizing the vision of creating a model region for structural change, in close alignment with the departmental research activities of the Competence Center of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) in Cottbus.

The research activities focus on concepts for the intelligent further development of social and technical infrastructures for equitable and sustainable public services and mobility, for the regionalization of food and economic cycles, for the sustainable management of post-mining landscapes, border regions and forward-looking settlement and landscape structures, which also take into account the transformation of energy and water infrastructure structures against the backdrop of climate change. These are united by the goal of developing public welfare-oriented planning approaches for a sustainable and innovative design of cities, communities and regions.

In exchange and in cooperation with other faculties as well as non-university institutes (e.g. Leibniz Institute for Spatial Social Research (IRS), Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development (IÖR), Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Institute for New Industrial Culture (INIK), German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK), Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR)) , methods and strategies for the transformation of the built and (cultural) landscape environment are developed. Existing framework conditions such as demographic, structural and climatic change as well as networks with various regional and supra-regional stakeholders provide a reference space for analyses, concepts and possible solutions. The insights and solutions gained in regional as well as locally networked projects as well as in international research projects can be transferred to other regions with comparable structural change.