News & Highlights

Risk Communication to support property level adaptation

In January 2023, the final report of the project "PIVO - Private Eigenvorsorge" was published. The project was funded by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). Under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Christian Kuhlicke, PIVO investigated how different communication formats (a serious game on flood protection, a simulation and a precautionary information campaign) affect the motivation of citizens to take precautions against the consequences of climate change. This report provides a detailed and illustrative overview of the developed communication formats and the results of an extensive evaluation. A longitudinal survey was conducted in 11 municipalities, with six cities serving as control municipalities in order to draw controlled conclusions on the effectiveness of the communication formats. You can find the report here (it’s in German and includes a English summary).

New project on resilience planning in German municipalities

In December, the one-year project “Resilience in municipal practice – How about resilience?” started with the collaboration of Prof. Dr. Christian Kuhlicke, Prof. Dr. Dieter Rink, Janine Pößneck und Anika Schmidt. Financed by and in close exchange with the German federal association on housing and urban development, called vhw, the team will elaborate a survey of debate, knowledge and planning related to urban resilience in German municipalities. Based on literature analysis and interviews a synthesis report will be published at the end of the project. The overall goal is to further refine the concept of urban resilience and elaborate suggestions for municipal planning. The project is part of the platform project „Transformations towards resilient cities".

Final meeting of cross-European project HOUSE-IN at UFZ

Key topics of Leipzig’s Welcome Centre (Photo: Annegret Haase)
Key topics of Leipzig’s Welcome Centre (Photo: Annegret Haase)

Final meeting of cross-European project HOUSE-IN at UFZ

From 9-11 Nov 2022, the final meeting of the JPI Urban Europe funded transdisciplinary project HOUSE-IN took place at UFZ. The project researches challenges at the intersection of housing and integration of forced migrants and discusses solutions in five European cities (Riga, Vienna, Helsingborg and Lund, Leipzig). It is coordinated at the Dept. SUSOZ at UFZ (by Annegret Haase and Anika Schmidt). About 20 participants, scientists and practitioners from municipalities, enterprises and civil society from 5 European countries took part in the meeting. It included hybrid working sessions and on-site excursions to local stakeholders organizing and supporting the access to housing and the settling and belonging of migrants in Leipzig. HOUSE-IN will end by 30 Nov 2022.

Uwe Schlink as a fellow at Durham University (UK)

Prof. Uwe Schlink
At the Institute of Advanced Study (IAS), he presents his current research and establish academic connections during his research stay from October - December 2022. The IAS has defined "Pollution" as one of the central research topics it would like to promote in the coming years. Social determinants and aspects of health are one of the main research priorities of both the Faculty of Social and Health Sciences and the Department of Sociology. Together with Dr Keming Young and other colleagues from the Department of Sociology, as well as Dr Laura Marsiliani and her colleagues at the Business School, Uwe Schlink is working on further analyses of data collected in previous studies. Within the group of international fellows currently working at the IAS, this interdisciplinary collaboration is also supported.

New edition: International Handbook of Ignorance Studies

International Handbook of Ignorance Studies

The new edition of the Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies, edited by Matthias Gross and Linsey McGoey, is a seminal text in the field of studies in ignorance, secrecies, and nonknowledge. It is now fully revised and includes new and expanded chapters on religion, domestic law and jurisprudence, gender studies, memory studies, and colonial history, among many others.

International Handbook of Ignorance Studies, Routledge

New video online: Matthias Groß in Portrait

New video online: Christian Kuhlicke in Portrait

New project “Heat Stress” launched

In January 2022, the DBU-funded research project “Planetary Health Model for the Reduction of Heat Stress at the Neighborhood Level” started. In collaboration with partners from the City of Leipzig, it will run under the leadership of the UFZ until May 2023. By combining micrometeorological simulations and social science survey results, the new research field “Planetary Health” will be further developed for the neighborhood level in order to identify key factors for heat stress and to be able to provide practical recommendations for reducing the individual exposure of the population.

More information: Project homepage “Heat Stress”

Heads: Prof. Dr. Sigrun Kabisch, Prof. Dr. Uwe Schlink

Personnel: Daniel Hertel, Janine Pößneck

New project „Lebendige Wände − Living Walls“

The project “Lebendige Wände” (Living Walls) was launched in October 2021. Funded by the Saxon Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture, the project focuses on testing suitable facade greening concepts in Leipzig. Together with lwb, Saxony's largest municipal housing association, as well as the environmental protection association “Ökolöwe” and the citizens' initiative “Wir im Quartier”, obstacles are identified, the interests of residents are recorded, and greening and maintenance concepts are developed. An elaborate climatological measuring concept allows the monitoring of the cooling capacity and the vitality of the plants during heat and drought. The results will be integrated into existing urban climatological models.

More information: Project  „Living Walls − Green facades for multifunctional climate adaptation in the city“

Contact: Prof. Dr. Uwe Schlink, Raphael Karutz