(Title)

Climate Region Nordhausen 2040: Future Pathways for an Integrated Development at the Urban-Rural Interface

(Abstract, ENG)

In the context of the climate crisis, the strategic design of urban-rural relations constitutes a crucial lever for a socially and ecologically just development of regions. However, this requires the identification and re-adjustments of key material flows at the urban-rural interface at spatial, administrational, and social levels, without neglecting their embeddedness in global processes. The traditional spatial planning tools currently in use are no longer sufficient to address the challenges posed by the climate crisis. This is because they are based on a traditional understanding of the concepts of ´urban´ and ´rural´ as opposing entities. Instead, new tools are required that can capture the complex and dynamic nature of urban-rural relations. These tools should then be used to further develop, visualise, and communicate future visions in an interdisciplinary and participatory manner.

The Master’s thesis (in German) develops a guiding image (Leitbild) for the year 2040 of the wider Nordhausen region in northern Thuringia, which is based on an analysis of key transformation challenges at the region’s urban-rural interface: energy, resources, and the everyday. Inspired by the “Raumbild” approach established in German-speaking planning contexts, the thesis employs participatory action research and scenario-based planning approach to design future development paths for the case study region. Furthermore, it considers the potential applications of the developed tools and methods at the interface of transformative science and strategic spatial planning and governance.

The thesis was developed 2021-2022 as part of the BMBF-funded research and development project “Urban-Rural Assembly (URA)”, which was conducted in collaboration with numerous national and international research and policy institutions under the lead of the Department for International Urbanism and Design (Habitat Unit) at TU Berlin.

(Date)
ss 2022
(Place)
Technische Universität Berlin, Habitat Unit
(Programme)
Urban Design
(Format)
Master Thesis, Supervision (with Anke Hagemann)
(Student)
Tino Imsirovic
(Tags)
Urban Design, Strategic Planning, Climate Adaptation, Urban-Rural Linkages

  1. All images and graphics by Tino Imsirovic (M.Sc., Urban Design)

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