Why choose Dortmund?

The Ruhr region, in particular, and German cities in general offer excellent conditions for studying urban transformation in practice. The Master’s program Urban Transformation benefits from its location in one of Europe’s most important post-industrial regions. The Ruhr region has extensive experience of structural change and has become a prime example of how former industrial areas can be transformed and revitalized.

For students, the region serves as a living laboratory. There are many opportunities to learn about the challenges of urban transformation and about strategies for managing change.

A well-known example of this is the IBA Emscher Park strategy which ran from 1989 to 1999. This approach to transformative urban planning is internationally recognized as innovative. The project demonstrated how industrial landscapes could be reimagined and developed.

In addition to examples from the Ruhr region, the program also includes international case studies of innovative urban transformation. This enables students to compare urban transformation processes at local, national, and global levels.