Winter term 2025/2026

Progressing climate change poses increasingly complex challenges for municipalities. A key aspect concerns planning approaches to extreme weather events such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall. Addressing these challenges requires both a solid evidence base and a systematic approach. Consequently, the analysis of climate-related risks is gaining growing importance in the context of local and regional planning. 

This course offers an introduction to the field of risk and climate impact research and familiarises students with methods for analysing risks. The first part of the course consists of input sessions providing theoretical foundations, including basic concepts of spatial risks, climate change–induced extreme weather events, vulnerable land uses, and practical approaches to conducting risk assessments. 

In the second part, students will apply these methods in small groups, using ArcGIS Pro as the main analytical tool. The course concludes with an individual assignment in which participants independently conduct a risk analysis and submit their results in the form of a written report as their examination requirement. 

Date: Wednesday, 15 October 2025 – 4 February 2026, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m., weekly 

Venue: GB III, Room 335 

Further information: see LSF 

Instructors: Marius Ehrmann, M.Sc.; Jennifer Oriwol, M.Sc.

The focus of Städtebaulicher Entwurf I lies on the spatially integrative scale of the urban district. The course is structured into three main components: site analysis, development of guiding principles, and framework planning. Building on this foundation, Städtebaulicher Entwurf II in the summer semester deepens the students’ analytical and conceptual design skills, providing the basis for the advanced Design Plan. This advanced design project is subsequently translated into a qualified land-use plan (Bebauungsplan). 

Working in groups of typically five students, participants in Städtebaulicher Entwurf I develop, on the basis of a spatial analysis, an overarching strategy that includes both a spatial vision and a programmatic concept (objectives and fields of action) for a defined study area (Phase 1). This phase addresses questions such as how the urban development of the project area can enrich the surrounding district and the city as a whole, and how the site itself can benefit from spatial interventions in its wider context. 

In Phase 2, the insights gained are translated into an urban framework plan for the project area, supported by sectoral analyses and concepts addressing mobility, open space, land use, and urban structure. After a period of elaboration and synthesis (Phase 3), the semester concludes with an interim colloquium and the first assessed coursework (Studienleistung 1). 

Dates and venues:  
Inputs: Thu, 16 October 2025 – 5 February 2026, 12:30 – 13:00, weekly, GB III Room 103 
Group work / Supervision: 
Thu, 16 October 2025 – 5 February 2026, 13:00 – 18:00, weekly, GB III Room 516 and GB I Room 503 
Fri, 17 October 2025 – 6 February 2026, 10:15 – 18:00, weekly, GB III Room 516 and GB I Room 503 
Further information: see LSF 
Instructors: Marius Ehrmann, M.Sc. (RER); Matthias Zimny, M.Sc. (RER); Jennifer Oriwol, M.Sc. (RER); Dipl.-Ing. Päivi Kaarina Kataikko-Grigoleit (SBP); Thomas Eltner, M.Sc. (SRP); Dr. Andrea Rüdiger (SRP); Felix Kutzera, M.Sc. (SBP); Dipl.-Ing. Holger Hoffschröer (SBP); Vinzenz Rosenberg, M.Sc. (SBP); Julia Tesch, M.Sc. (SBP); Lukas Breil, M.Sc. (SBP); Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Göhre (SRP); Lisa Haag, M.Sc. (SBP)

Teaching Responsibility

The overall content-related and methodological responsibility for the Städtebaulicher Entwurf I lies with the Research Groups UrbanDesignUnit (SBP) and Urban and Regional Planning (SRP). Both research groups guide the design process through all phases, from analysis and conceptual development to the legal translation into the qualified land-use plan (Bebauungsplan). 

The Research Group Regional Development and Risk Management (RER) complements the design process by contributing specific expertise in climate-resilient urban and regional planning, thereby integrating cross-cutting climate adaptation requirements into the analysis, vision, and concept phases. 

The aim of this course, part of Module 1, is to introduce students to the fundamentals of academic research and writing. It serves as a bridge between the WiR lecture and the A-Projects. The cohort is divided into eight groups, each meeting biweekly for a double session (1.5 hours). 

Each session consists of short input lectures and practical exercises. The inputs cover essential aspects of academic work and writing that students will encounter throughout their studies. The practice-oriented exercises allow participants to consolidate and directly apply what they have learned. 

The course addresses key topics such as correct citation practices, understanding and analysing academic texts, structuring and organising academic papers, and formulating research questions. In addition, students engage with issues of source quality, the use of artificial intelligence in academic work, and effective time management. 

To apply their knowledge in practice, students complete a peer review as coursework (Studienleistung) during the semester. In addition, they write an essay as an examination component, which is thematically linked to the WiR lecture. 

Dates, venue, and further information: see LSF 
Instructors: Tanja Schnittfinke, M.Sc. (RER); Dr. Raffael Beier (IPS); Dr. Dorcas Nthoki Nyamai (IPS); Simon Bohlen, M.Sc. (IPS)