City Laboratory Nuremberg West

Semester Project M.A. Landscap Architecture, Winter Semester 2011/12

Topic

Global trends and local structural changes have significantly altered the task of designing and planning urban developments. In addition to massive economic changes such as the disappearance of inner-city production facilities and the resulting loss of jobs for many people, urgent questions about the sustainability of cities in connection with conditions and issues related to climate change pose additional challenges to sustainability in urban development planning. Answering these increasingly complex questions requires not only an understanding of the complex systemic interactions among the various components of the city but also the development of various visionary scenarios and trends. These scenarios and trends can inform and influence long-term political and business decision-making, leading to more robust planning decisions that are more tolerant of the unforeseen. As part of a research project, the Technical University of Munich, in collaboration with the City Laboratory Nürnberg West, proposes the development of a long-term modeling approach. Through the use of this simulation, the complex systemic interactions among the individual components and influencing factors of urban development can be better understood, and the impacts of development paths can be mapped in possible scenarios and trends.

Task

In order to develop these models and translate them into practical tools for urban planning and urban transformation, the work on visions is just beginning with the City Laboratory. Desirable future scenarios for a livable environment are to be developed, providing clear direction to the strategic development pathways.

The project is being conducted in collaboration with the Chair of Sustainable Urbanism.