DLGS Summer School
Shaping Spaces for Sustainability Transformation: Challenges for Policy and Planning
Grand societal challenges like geopolitical shifts, climate change or biodiversity loss imply major issues for policy and planning. On the one hand, there are multiple urgent and rather complex tasks emerging that cut across territories, sectors and competencies - e.g. to achieve climate resilience, circular economies or inclusive communities. On the other hand, structures, processes and instruments in policy (from governance to design) have been conceived in times of relative stability and without concerns for transforming existing systems. Both is further accentuated by the disruptive potential of digitalisation processes and artificial intelligence (AI) in particular. Authorities and planners often lack the skills and resources to address such new tasks and at the same time “reinvent themselves”. In turn, sustainability-oriented research has increasingly engaged in (co-)producing knowledge required to deal with these issues, but obviously remains limited regarding transfer and impact. What are ways forward for policy and planning to resolve this situation?
The DLGS Summer School offers a dynamic platform to explore theories, methods, and findings, while exchanging ideas with peers and renowned scholars in the field of spatial sustainability sciences. The event will be held in English. All participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs.
Deadline for abstracts: 4 August 2025
Notification of acceptance: 21 August 2025
Registration: 28 August 2025
Presentations and Workshop: 19 September 2025
Tour: 20 September 2025
19 September
Location: IOER (Weberpl. 1, 01217 Dresden)
- Current PhD candidates from all relevant disciplines and stages of research will present their work on related topics.
- Prof. Lauren Andres (Director of Research at the Bartlett School of Planning, Chair in Planning and Urban Transformation, and Pro-Vice-Provost Inequalities UCL Grand Challenge at University College London) will lead a PhD training workshop on “Planning for change and uncertainties: adaptability, AI and their critical underpinnings for the future of cities.” The workshop is organized exclusively for graduate participants and invited guests.
- Prof. Martina Artmann (HSWT/ IOER), Prof. Serena Coetzee (UNU-FLORES), Dr. Tobias Krüger (IOER), Prof. Julia Mildorfova Leventon (CzechGlobe), Dr. Gerd Lintz (IOER), Dr. Stefanie Rößler (IOER), and Prof. Marc Wolfram (IOER/ TUD) will provide expert feedback on PhD presentations.
- IOER Researchers Dr. Alejandro de Castro Mazarro, Dr. Xiaoxue Gao, Dr. Riyan Habeeb, Dr. Jessica Hemingway, Dr. Martin Schinagl, Dr. Sujit Kumar Sikder and Dr. Constanze Zöllter will moderate the individual panels.
- Organized by the DLGS Scientific Coordinator Dr. Nora Gortcheva and DLGS fellows Rana Abdelkader, Lamiaa Ghoz, and Varsami (Ersi) Zafeiriou.
20 September
Location: Dresden
- Dr. Martin Schulte-Wissermann will lead a walking tour (in English) exploring the history of expansion and renovation plans for Königsbrücker Straße and the citizens’ initiative "Königsbrücker muss leben" ("Königsbrücker must live").
