Professorship for Open Space Development and Society

Open Space Development and Society is a subject area that pursues social, space-oriented landscape architecture. The focus is on the relationship between the built environment and society; between design and actual use. Climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and the mobility transition are fundamentally transforming how we think about and shape cities and their open spaces. Planning models that held sway for decades are being abandoned: Instead of car-oriented, paved-over environments designed around the supposed needs of an average user, urban spaces are now expected to evolve into comfortable and communicative, sociable and community-oriented, greened and climate-adapted, inclusive, and spatially equitable places.

We teach the theoretical foundation and the design skills necessary to develop bustling, multifunctional open spaces. We encourage students to worke conceptually, think critically, and remain aware of the social-spatial context and political dimensions of landscape architecture. Special attention is paid to the socio-cultural aspects of open space design and the social performance of urban open spaces: their suitability for everyday use, the needs of different user groups, the relationship between design and use, and participation processes. This is closely related to the search for contemporary aesthetics and a reflection on the message that the constructed environment sends out to people from different social backgrounds. Another aspect of central interest is how collective memories can be framed and brought to life through design.

Our research focuses on urban open space development in the context of social change. With social science-oriented impact research, we evaluate the long-term success of open space designs and test the viability of the concepts and models behind them. As part of our cooperation in the interdisciplinary DFG network 'Wirkungsforschung in Architektur und Städtebau: Interdisziplinäre Theorien und Methoden' we are able to elaborate on the theoretical basics.