News

Heatwaves, heavy rain & snowfall, drought, river flooding, landslides, avalanches – the risks of natural hazards are interconnected, often referred to as complex, multi(ple), compound or systemic risks. How can interactions between the individual hazards and the resulting dynamic development of vulnerability and exposure be holistically considered in multi-risk assessments? – This question was the focus of the annual meeting of the Working Group on Natural Hazards and Natural Risks within the German Geographical Society (DGfG). At the end of April, the IOER hosted and organized the event under…

A new study, conducted by researchers from the Netherlands and Germany, estimates that urban agriculture in European cities could produce up to 20 million tons of vegetables annually, representing roughly one-third of the region’s current vegetable production. The study, published in Sustainable Cities and Society, systematically analyses the potential of urban agriculture for 840 cities across 30 European countries.

Laser scan data, terrain models, land registers, land-use data – the academic, business and public sectors collect and compile data on a massive scale. And make it openly available. But how can the available data be used to generate added value for society and science – and not just by experts? The current spring series of the IOER Forum explores this question under the heading “Geodata – making it usable and accessible. Unlocking the potential for sustainable change”.

How can the transition to a climate-neutral city be achieved, and what role do knowledge-sharing and collaboration between numerous stakeholders from various sectors of urban society play in this process? For four years, the TRUST project has been addressing this question in the city of Görlitz. Under the leadership of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Transformative Urban Regeneration (IZS), people from Görlitz worked closely together on the project to make the city fit for the future. The experiences gained have been documented in various publications. These are intended to help everyone…

How can habitats in and along the Danube and its tributaries be optimised to create better conditions for migratory fish species? This is the focus of the Horizon Europe project DANUBElifelines. In collaboration with Geisenheim University, the IOER is examining the planning and legal instruments of the ten riparian states.

With “NEXtra – Resource Nexus for Sustainability Transformations”, the IOER, together with the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES) and the TUD Dresden University of Technology, is offering a scholarship programme for doctoral students. The programme is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of the EPOS (Development-Related Postgraduate Courses) programme. The programme is aimed at interested persons from the Global South. The deadline for applications has passed.

For the second time, the Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe is offering media professionals the opportunity to apply for a scholarship programme.

By signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) is strengthening its strategic partnership with CEPT University in Ahmedabad, India. The collaboration in research, academic education and knowledge transfer focuses primarily on joint activities addressing issues relating to the transformative change of cities and regions.

Who uses the space – and how is this communicated digitally? A new analysis by the IOER, developed in close collaboration with Prof. Catrin Schmidt from the Institute of Landscape Architecture at TUD Dresden University of Technology, visualises over 66 million public social media posts from 15 years. The result is a high-resolution map of Germany that shows where locals relax and which destinations tourists like to visit. The map was published in the December issue of “Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung” (Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning). The underlying anonymised data is made…