Urban research − understanding urban change in its diversity

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.

ILS researcher Cornelia Tippel and her colleagues have published an article in the International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship. The article examines the significance of space in entrepreneurship and develops the conceptual model of the ‘Triadic Spatial Paradox’ based on the experiences of entrepreneurs operating home-based businesses (HBBs). It shows how entrepreneurs personally relate to and make sense of their dynamic hybrid home/workspaces and how they articulate the space-related paradoxes within their businesses. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426251410801. Further current selected papers can be found here.

The ILS researcher Annika Schröder has published an article in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, co-authored by Sina Steele from Goethe University Frankfurt. The development of mobility concepts for newly built urban districts encounters structures and patterns of thinking that are oriented towards automobility. These pose significant challenges for innovative planning strategies. Using neighborhood developments in Darmstadt, Bielefeld, and Cologne as case studies, the authors examine the transformation process from car-oriented to car-reduced planning. Based on a complex interplay of belief patterns and socio-spatial factors (material, institutional, and cultural), they identify different pathways of a planning transition from car-oriented to car-reduced. They also show that, in practice, it appears promising to justify planning visions in a context-specific manner, to combine experimentation with institutionalization, and to disseminate planning experiences. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2025.2598440. Weitere aktuelle Fachpublikationen finden Sie hier.