Publications

ILS Researcher Peter Stroms, Eyaiu Hassen, and Thomas Weith as well as Luise Porst from ZALF have published an article in the journal disP – The Planning Review. The article deals with real-world laboratories which can make an important contribution to initiating, researching and implementing transformative processes within society. In this context, the REGIONALE in North Rhine-Westphalia represents a highly interesting format, having frequently provided innovative and experimental regional development projects and new types of cooperation between stakeholders. Developing a set of criteria for real-world laboratories, this article examines similarities between the REGIONALE and the real-world laboratory approach and discusses both the possible opportunities and challenges that the real-world laboratory perspective could have for the REGIONALE and thus for format-oriented regional development. https://doi.org/10.1080/02513625.2025.2561515.Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researcher Thomas Weith, together with Wolfgang Köck from UFZ and Annelie Gütte from ZALF, has published an article in the journal STANDORT. As part of the ReGerecht project, the article analyses institutionalised urban-rural cooperation using the example of Schwerin. Urban-rural interdependencies are a central topic in planning and research. The urban-rural interrelations (SUR) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which have been formalised through state planning, represent a special case that has received little attention to date. The analysis of the Schwerin urban-rural area shows that institutional anchoring has established functioning cooperation areas and coordination routines. The approach facilitates the balancing of interests and offers potential for transfer to other federal states. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00548-025-01014-3. Further current selected papers can be found here.

Thomas Weith, head of the research group “Spatial Planning and Urban Design”, in collaboration with Roni Susman from ZALF, has published an article in the journal LAND. Based on the ReGerecht project, the article examines conflicts of use along Jade Weser Port. The focus is on the question of how large-scale infrastructure projects are embedded in ecologically sensitive coastal areas and what spatial conflicts arise as a result. Satellite images, planning documents, and implementation measures were used to analyse land use changes between 1970 and 2015. The results show that the growing demand for land for port-related infrastructure creates conflicts in limited spatial resources and competes with nature conservation and other land use demands. A lack of coordination between infrastructure planning and integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) is further exacerbating the conflicts. The study highlights the need for coherent, interdisciplinary planning approaches to sustainable development in coastal regions. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14102009.  Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researchers Sebastian Eichhorn und Angelika Münter have published a joint expert commentary in the journal “Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning” together with colleagues from the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) and the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IÖR). This commentary addresses the findings of the study “Housing Construction Needs (More) Land”, published by Institute for Housing, Real Estate, Urban and Regional Development (InWIS) at the Ruhr University Bochum and EBZ Business School Bochum on June 18, 2025, and criticizes the blanket demand for more and more building land as short-sighted. Instead, land for housing construction should be sought on a small scale and where it is actually needed. The entire article is available under the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/rur.3425. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researchers Noriko Otsuka, Janina Welsch, and Anna-Lena van der Vlugt, in collaboration with colleagues, have published an article in the journal “Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives”. The article examines the complexity of walkability in three European cities based on the WalkUrban project. It focuses on the innovative citizen science method based Walking Route Assessment. The citizen-science led method played an important role in highlighting the areas for improving urban walkability, with photographic evidence. Cross-examination with the results from other methods (i.e. spatial modelling, household survey and walk-along interviews) provided deeper insights into people’s perceptions of their walking environment and routes on a neighbourhood scale. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2025.101588. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS-researcher Michael Kolocek has published a paper in the journal “Cities”. The article summarizes the main findings of the Z³ research project („Zusammenhalthochdrei“) from the perspective of property rights theory. The study focuses on the land acquisition process in several affected villages and how residents were compensated for their losses. It critically evaluates whether the principle of social compatibility achieved its intended goals. The situation in these areas is unique, as some villages initially designated for removal were later spared due to revised mining plans. Two theoretical concepts are discussed: solastalgia, which describes the relationship between ecosystem health and human well-being and explaining the psychological impact of these turbulent experiences; and solatium, an international concept used to compensate for emotional distress and pain caused by losing one’s home. Although solatium does not exist in German law, the paper shows how stakeholders sought to mitigate economic and emotional harm through an innovative compensation approach combined with participatory measures. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.106273. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researcher Barbara Schröter, in collaboration with several colleagues, has published an article in the journal “ecosystem services”. The article covers how justice is conceptualized in ecosystem services research. They identified five different framings, that each render different (in)justices (in)visible. The diversity of framings emphasizes the importance of considering multiple perspectives on justice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101755. Further current selected papers can be found here.

Within the Horizon 2020 Project ReRoot, Cornelia Tippel, ILS-Scientist within the research group „Urban Social Space“ has co-authored the „Integration Otherwise Inspiration Kit“. The publication is a practical guidebook that centers bottom-up approaches on integration and moves beyond polarizing debates of newcomers failing to integrate or blames society as insufficiently welcoming. The authors introduce the concept of „arrival infrastructuring“, the interactive process through which newcomers, together with others, actively shape and transform their arrival situations. Through stories from the ground with concise takeaways, alongside tools for reflection and action, this guide equips practitioners, policymakers and community builders with a deeper understanding of the diverse forms of arrival infrastructuring, as well as the successes and challenges of everyday integration processes. https://doi.org/10.11116/9789461666758. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS-Researcher Kerstin Conrad has published a paper in the journal “Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie” in collaboration with Susanne Penger from the University of Siegen. The article covers the perception of extreme heat by elderly people. It covers the results of a survey of 211 persons aged 65 to 92 years in Stuttgart. A cluster of vulnerability factors was discovered, which led to a strong reduction in out-of-home activities during high perceived heat stress. This reinforces the necessity of targeted heat protection and prevention measures in local heat action schemes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02456-y. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researcher Isabel Ramos, in collaboration with Heike Hanhörster from TU Berlin, has observed different forms of institutional discrimination, which deepen school segregation and counteract the function of elementary schools as places of encounter between different population groups. For their recent paper in the journal „Berichte. Geographie und Landeskunde“, they interviewed experts and parents and analyzed the interplay between institutional structures and practices and segregation at school. They identified three dimensions of institutional discrimination in access to elementary school: the strategic goals of a school in handling segregation, the admission process and the profile development and information policy of a school. These factors prove to be subtle, but decisive facets of institutional discrimination, that co-produce and perpetuate spatial and educational inequalities. https://doi.org/10.25162/bgl-2025-0013. Further current selected papers can be found here.