Institute for Applied Research Urban Futures (IaF)

Since its foundation in 2015, the institute has hosted numerous research projects with many motivated employees. Under the umbrella of the IaF, the research-oriented Master's programme Urban Futures was established in the winter semester 2016/2017.

People

Centrum für Metropolinnovation in Bratislava

To support the development of the profile, the interdisciplinary Institute for Applied Research Urban Futures (IaF) was founded in 2014 as a central institution of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. The IaF takes up inter- and transdisciplinary questions of urban developments and works on them in research projects. In order to be able to comprehensively grasp and research the complexity of urban topics, three research professorships with the denominations "Resource-optimised and climate-adapted construction", "Sustainable urban development strategies" and "Information, visualisation & management" were assigned to the IaF. Despite its supra-regional and international networking, the IaF sees itself primarily as a catalyst for applied research in cooperation with regional actors. It supports interdisciplinary cooperation as well as the dynamisation and expansion of research cooperation with practical partners from business, administration and civil society.

Profile

The complexity of urban processes, social dynamics and digital information spaces requires an inter- and transdisciplinary approach in research, teaching and practice. To develop feasible solutions for the sustainable transformation of our cities and communities, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam has founded the Institute for Applied Research Urban Futures: Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary issues are addressed here in a cross-departmental and practice-oriented manner and integrated into teaching.

Goals

Understanding cities as complex systems,
Creating orientation knowledge for the future,
Sharpen inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives on cities,
Developing competence in dealing with the limits of knowledge.

Main focus

Resource-efficient and climate-adapted construction,
Regional and Social Transformation,
Information and Visualisation,
Mobility and traffic management.

Urban Futures (M. A.)

The research-oriented Master's programme Urban Futures is a four-semester consecutive programme that offers students from different disciplinary backgrounds the opportunity to study urban transformation processes in an inter- and transdisciplinary way.

Master's programme Urban Futures

Projects from the IaF

Weitere Projekte

TDR4HAW: Transdisciplinary Research at Universities of Applied Sciences – Status Quo and Potential of a Sleeping Giant

The project consortium analyses research at universities of applied sciences (UAS) with a special focus on transdisciplinary research projects.

Bildauswahl aus dem Archiv des Fotografen Frédéric Brenner

GraDiM: Granularities of Dispersion and Materiality – Visualising a Photo Archive on Diaspora

In collaboration with photographer Frédéric Brenner and his international project team, the GraDiM research project is developing theoretical and technical concepts for the visualisation of a photo archive with particular sensitivity for a collection documenting the Jewish diaspora.

Foto einer Baustelle auf dem ehemaligen Gelände der Fachhochschule Potsdam

Q-LCA — Analysis of the Ecological Impacts of Different Settlement Types in New Development Neighbourhoods and Their Life Cycle

Fünf Karten mit Visualisierungen zu Energie, Mobilität, Abfall, Landwirtschaft und Gebäude

CLIMATE MAPS: Visualising Local Climate Futures

Cooperation with the daily newspapers taz and UCLAB with the aim of conveying climate information via various channels using data visualisations. For this purpose, both physical and digital postcards with visualisations on different aspects of climate protection in Germany were designed and produced.