Urban research − understanding urban change in its diversity

ILS researcher Dr. Bastian Heider, together with colleagues from TU Dortmund University and the IÖR, has published an article in the journal European Planning Studies. This article analyses long-term trends and spatial patterns in the conversion of commercial and industrial land in German city regions. Contrary to many other international studies, the results show no significant loss of industrial and commercial land in most core urban areas. This highlights the influence of national and local planning institutions in the context of global urban development phenomena such as reurbanisation and the displacement of industry from central urban areas. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2026.2644411. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researchers Prof. Dr. Thomas Weith and Lennart Bosse have published an article in the journal „RaumPlanung“. The article analyses and evaluates the criteria underpinning local authorities’ adaptation measures following the 2021 floods, drawing on empirical evidence. The findings reveal a high number and wide variety of concrete protection and prevention measures that have been implemented, as well as ongoing challenges, and offer guidance for relevant stakeholders in flood management. https://ifr-ev.de/raumplanung/wassersensible-stadt/. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researchers Janina Welsch and Anna-Lena van der Vlugt, together with colleagues from the University of Groningen, have published an article in the Journal of Urban Mobility. The article publishes the initial results of the walk-along interviews from the AccessCity4All project. Based on interviews about perceived accessibility in the province of Groningen, one of the project’s case study areas, it presents new insights into the perceptions of two vulnerable groups regarding their experiences of walking and the accessibility of important facilities in rural and suburban settlements. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urbmob.2026.100199. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researcher Jonas Marschall has published an article in the journal Die Öffentliche Verwaltung DÖV. In order to give planning regions more flexibility in meeting their regional sub-area targets for wind energy through interregional cooperation, several federal states have therefore adopted regulations based on the model of the Wind Energy Area Requirements Act, which are intended to empower planning regions to agree on a so-called ‘area surplus’ or ‘area compensation’. This approach is also innovative and interesting with regard to other areas of spatial planning. Particularly when it comes to limiting land use through state and regional planning, the tension between binding and flexible quantity-based control approaches poses a challenge. However, the specific regulations on land surplus raise questions. A closer look at the examples reveals differences and problems with the regulatory approaches. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researcher Isabel Ramos Lobato and Andreas Wettlaufer (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) have published an article in the journal Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie. Taking up previous research, the article uses a mixed-methods design to investigate how the reputations of primary schools are established in discourses in a German neighbourhood in North Rhine-Westphalia and what role they play in school choice. It becomes clear that, in contrast to previous studies, the reputations of the local schools generally reflect their composition. Even if this does not mean that reliable conclusions about a school’s quality can actually be drawn from it, reputation is a very important school selection criterion across all social groups. Nevertheless, perceptions of individual primary schools vary in line with parents’ educational qualifications, contributing to school segregation. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.70060. Weitere aktuelle Fachpublikationen finden Sie here.