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Department of Spatial Planning
RG UrbanDesignUnit (SBP)

Teaching Activities

The Department of Urban Development, Land Use Planning and Design Processes spatially addresses the important scale of urban design as the concrete design of our environment. Urban design is about shaping the environment in a sustainable, resource-conserving, equitable and cooperative way. At the same time, this design must be anchored in planning law and the necessary processes for it must be designed. At the department, students acquire the fundamentals of spatial design and an understanding of urban qualities, as well as knowledge about stakeholder interests and co-productive processes that can be used to develop lively and livable neighborhoods.

We aim to provide students with the necessary skills to recognize and develop urban qualities, to consciously plan the processes behind them, and to responsibly define the legal framework. Furthermore, our aim is to qualify graduates of spatial planning with our focus on teaching urban design for a later chamber qualification as an urban planner as well as for the application for the urban planning traineeship.

The research group UrbanDesignUnit contributes with its teaching to the:

  • Master's degree program "Spatial Planning"
  • Specialization in "Urban Design" and "Urban Transformation"
  • Bachelor's degree program "Spatial Planning"
  • Master's degree program "SPRING

In the eight-semester bachelor's program, the department provides the basic knowledge and skills for urban development, land use planning and urban design processes. The teaching content includes technical practical knowledge , as well as creative and design skills such as theoretical and practical knowledge on the understanding, design, development and safeguarding of the built, spatial environment.

The teaching formats build on each other didactically and in terms of content. In the first semester you will learn in CAD the basics on the application of creative and technical forms for the design, presentation and communication of your ideas and concepts. In the second semester, you will learn the basics of urban design (STB I/II) for the conceptualization and development of your first designs. In the fifth semester, you will learn how to spatially solve more complex problems in urban contexts of different scales in urban design (STB III). Our design projects also allow students to practice interdisciplinary work methods and develop metaskills such as collaborative group work, presentation and display techniques. In the fifth and sixth semesters, you will attend our lecture on urban design and historic preservation and can underpin your knowledge with knowledge of urban planning history, concepts, theories, and legal foundations on design protection, urban renewal, and urban historic preservation.

In the master's program, we offer more complex urban design projects and advanced courses to further deepen your expertise. In addition, you can complete the Master of Spatial Planning with the specialization "Urban Design". With regards to the English-based specialization program "Urban Transformation", we also offer one English-language design course per academic year. In addition to urban design, the content of the program focuses on the analysis of urban planning problems in urban districts and neighborhoods; the development of strategies for urban renewal and neighborhood management; assessment and development of urban planning and design approaches.

The Master of Science SPRING (Spatial Planning for Regions in Growing Economies) is a two-year international joint Master's degree program that addresses current topics of spatial planning in developing and emerging countries. In order to fill the evident gap in adequate training for regional planning and management, five universities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe are co-operating in running the SPRING program.

More information on the SPRING Master's degree program here!

That little extra...
Additionally, we regularly offer participation in interdisciplinary workshops and summer schools, where you can meet and work in international contexts and with other space-related disciplines.
 

Bachelor and Master Theses within the research group:
If you are interested in exploring urban design topics and focusing on design in your thesis, you have come to the right place. For more information about writing your thesis at our department, as well as suggested topics, colloquia, or exchange events, please contact us.

Contact us!