GRK 2679: Urban Green Infrastructure – Training Next Generation Professionals for Integrated Urban Planning Research

The objective of the Research Training Group (RTG) is to inspire and to educate young junior researchers who develop innovative solutions for novel Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI). By developing networks of green and blue open spaces with multiple ecosystem services, the goal is to improve the sustainability, resilience, and quality of life of cities.Doctoral candidates will undertake an advanced and specific qualification program that enables them to conduct UGI-related research in their respective disciplines at the highest academic level, while simultaneously trained in inter- and trans-disciplinary research within the setting of a systems-oriented approach. They will collaborate with, and receive support and guidance from, leading experts in the fields of urban research on planning, ecology, engineering and environmental medicine. The RTG is therefore a potential cornerstone in the career of a new generation of young urban researchers. The RTG will develop within a theoretical framework of social-ecological-technological systems with three interacting research clusters on the topics of the transformation of urban space with UGI, climate resilience and energy efficiency, as well as storm water management. In particular, it will explore and focus on three strategies: (i) operationalization to transform complex urban environments through the development and implementation of prototype UGIs, (ii) integration of nature into built structures to reduce dependency on fossil energy and non-renewable resources, and (iii) substitution of urban technical structures and processes.