Focus 1

The role of conflict and crisis in shaping and managing urban transformation and resilience

Augustusplatz, Leipzig
Photo: D. Rink/ UFZ: Augustusplatz, Leipzig.

The transformation of cities into climate-neutral, socially acceptable and liveable cities and their robustness and adaptability, i.e. resilience to crises, extreme events and external shocks, is the key challenge of the present and the future. Despite a broad political consensus and numerous programmes, initiatives and measures, little progress has been made. This is where the project comes in: it is based on the observation that conflicts and crises have a massive impact on these transformations and their chances of realisation; at the same time, current transformation processes and the response of parts of urban society to them are characterised by contradictions and paradoxes.

Focus 1 therefore aims to contribute theoretically to a better understanding of the impact of conflicts, crises, etc. on transformations towards urban resilience and sustainability. Secondly, through the analysis of urban examples, a deeper understanding will be developed of how conflicts, crises, etc. influence this transformation and its governance - hindering and delaying, promoting and accelerating or complicating it. The aim is to develop positions for the further development of the debate as well as concrete knowledge for policy and practice. To this end, we collaborate with various thematic areas within the UFZ. We also cooperate with other research institutions and partners in practice.

Tasks

Our tasks comprise:

  • discussing and clarifying basic terms and relevant concepts (e.g. conflicts, crises, trade-offs, dilemmas, paradoxes, shocks, etc.) related to sustainable and resilient urban development;
  • analysing conflicts, effects of crises and related paradoxes and contradictions as a contribution to better research and deeper explanation of urban transformations towards more urban sustainability and resilience;
  • contributing to the further conceptual development of urban sustainability, transformation and resilience concepts;
  • developing knowledge for action and solutions for urban policy and practice and discussing these with decision-makers, stakeholders and (organised) civil society.

Projects

Projects we are currently leading, participating in, and building upon include:

Contact

Dr. Annegret Haase and Prof. Dieter Rink, Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology