Prof. Dr. Michael Janoschka

Cities are key arenas for climate and resource transformation. They are where the energy and mobility transitions, climate adaptation, land-use competition, housing challenges, infrastructure renewal, and social inequalities converge. At the same time, cities foster new forms of coexistence, participation, and sustainable urban development. The Urban Research Topic at KIT brings together expertise from across disciplines to better understand these transformation processes, critically analyze them, and develop practical solutions in collaboration with stakeholders from policy, industry, and civil society.

The Topic focuses on the interactions between the built environment, technical infrastructures, natural resources, and societal dynamics. Researchers investigate how cities can become more climate-resilient, resource-efficient, socially equitable, and livable. Key areas of research include heat-adapted urban development, blue-green infrastructure, energy-efficient building renovation, circular construction, sustainable mobility, digital urban models, and innovative forms of urban governance.

A defining feature of the Topic is the close integration of fundamental research, applied research, and transdisciplinary approaches. Urban districts are viewed as living laboratories where scientific knowledge, municipal planning, civic engagement, and technological innovation come together. Real-world laboratories, urban demonstrators, digital observation infrastructures, and collaborative participation formats create interfaces between research, public administration, industry, and urban society.

The Urban Research Topic combines perspectives from architecture, civil engineering, regional science, geography, geosciences, environmental research, meteorology, computer science, and technology assessment. This interdisciplinary collaboration enables integrated approaches to the transformation of urban spaces—from analyzing complex urban systems to developing practical solutions for climate-resilient, resource-efficient, and socially sustainable cities.