Institut for Urban and Regional Planning (ISR)

 

The ISR works interdisciplinary and has seven research focuses. The research is very much application orientated. Humans use their habitat in very different ways. These needs may complete, superimpose, compete with or exclude each other completely. The resulting arguments on different usage needs to soil, nature, landed property, facilities or financial resources create the occasion and the working fields for urban and regional planning.

The Department of Urban and Regional Economy is concerned with questions about the complexities of spatial and economic development: The main focus of research is on economic structural change (clusters, creative industries, vacant property management, etc.), space-time analysis and security.


The Department of Urban and Regional Economy analyses the "Costs of the loss of the night" within the joint project. The loss of the night causes highly negative consequences in various dimensions: direct expenses pertaining mainly to the production of light and indirect expenses as a consequence of nocturnal brightness harming other systems. However, to form an overall picture, the benefits of nocturnal lighting also need to be determined systematically in a similar way.

In collaboration with the IRS, the Department of Urban and Regional Economy also does analysing work for the subproject "From lighting to enlightenment? A socio-political analysis of the situation to reduce light pollution in Berlin-Brandenburg". The project aims to investigate the interest for intense illumination among different social groups and the level of awareness for existing difficulties. In addition it is working on options, upon which different groups are able to act to minimise light pollution within the frame of the project network, and whether a readiness exists to put these into action.

For the project website of the ISR click here

Leader of subprojects at the ISR is Prof. Dr. Dietrich Henckel.