Previous Chairs

2004-2024 Alain Thierstein (*1957) - Chair of Urban Development

Alain Thierstein studied economics at the University of St. Gallen from 1978 to 1984; Degree in economics. Subsequently, research assistant at the University of St. Gallen. 1985-1987 Junior scholarship from the Swiss National Science Foundation, research stay in Karlsruhe at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems Engineering and Innovation Research (ISI). Dissertation on the topic “State research, technology and innovation policy for small and medium-sized companies” (Dr. oec.). 1988-1989 research assistant at the Swiss Institute for Foreign Trade, Structural and Regional Research (SIASR-HSG) at the University of St. Gallen, since 1993 permanent lecturer in regional economics and head of the SIASR's regional research department, since 1997 deputy director and member of the management board. July 1998 Head of the regional economy competence area at the Institute for Public Services and Tourism at the University of St. Gallen (IDT-HSG) and member of the management team. 2000 assistant professor for spatial planning at the Institute for Local, Regional and State Planning (IRL Institute) at ETH Zurich, since 2004 member of the “Spatial and Location Development” division at Ernst Basler + Partner AG, Zurich/Berlin. 2005-2024 Full Professor at the Chair of Urban Development at the Technical University of Munich. 2010-2015 Director of the Institute for Urban Development and Housing (ISW) Munich. Member of DASL, IsoCaRP, GfR, ERSA, the Swiss Council for Spatial Planning and advisory board of the International Building Exhibition Basel 2020. Research focus: location choice of companies and households, knowledge economy, agglomeration and network economies.

Publications by Alain Thierstein

1977-2000 Bruno Dietrichs (1935-2005) - Chair of Spatial Research and Regional Planning

Bruno Dietrichs studied economics at the University of Bonn and, at a young age, immediately after receiving his doctorate and working as an assistant at the University of Freiburg, entered ministerial service. He soon became a key pioneer of the federal spatial planning programs of the 1970s in the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Regional Planning. Numerous well-respected specialist publications also come from this time. In 1979 he was appointed a full member of the Academy for Spatial Research and Regional Planning (ARL). Dietrichs was not only the head of ARL working groups on several occasions, but also vice president of the academy from 1983 to 1984. Until his retirement, he was also a member of the state planning advisory board of the Free State of Bavaria, representing the Bavarian universities. His recent, particularly acclaimed works include the “Systematization of the Concepts and Instruments of Spatial Planning” (1986), “Regional Planning - a Systematic Overview” (2000) and “Sustainability Indicators for the Balanced Development of Municipalities, Districts, Cities and Regions” (2000). Translated version of German original: Krau, Ingrid (2005) in TUM Mitteilungen 3-2005.

1967-1976 Gottfried Müller (1910-1991) - Chair of Spatial Research and Regional Planning

Gottfried Müller studied economics at the universities of Berlin and Göttingen from 1930 to 1934. This was followed by various positions in the Hanover state planning administration. 1939-1941 military service, followed by work in the "Reich Commissariat Ostland" in Riga, here author of a "spatial planning sketch" that envisaged extensive population exchange. 1942 Dr. rer. pol. at the University of Göttingen ("The study of the social structure as preparatory work for the Preparation of spatial planning plans, shown in the Unterweser-Lesum planning area"). After renewed military service and imprisonment 1950-1961 Head of State Planning and Statistics at the District President in Stade, 1961-1967 Consultant in the State Planning Department of the Ministry of State Planning, Housing and Public Works of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, since 1967 full professor at the TUM Environmental research (1973). Main areas of work: spatial research, spatial planning and regional planning, impact analysis and forecasting structural problems in regional development, environmental and resource policy in spatial development. Member of the Advisory Board for Spatial Planning to the Federal Minister of the Interior (1970-1976), various expert commissions for municipal and state reorganization, urban-surrounding areas and state planning advisory boards. Sources: “Müller, Gottfried” in Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (1996): 50 Jahre ARL in Fakten, pp. 212-213; Seckendorf, Martin (1993): Die “Raumordnungsskizze” für das Reichskommissariat Ostland vom November 1942 - Regionale Konkretisierung der Ostraumplanung. In: Rössler, Mechtild et. al. (Hrsg.): Der “Generalplan Ost”. Berlin: Akademie, S. 175-197.