Mollerstadt’s Future: Urban Design as Part of Trans-Disciplinary Research

Astrid Schmeing

Department of Architecture, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Abstract: S:ne (Systeminnovation nachhaltige Entwicklung) is a transformation/research project funded by the German government. It aims at sustainable development, including the reduction of CO2. One project’s task looks at future-oriented urban development with the example of “Mollerstadt”, which is part of Darmstadt’s city center. There are several focus areas in this project concerning building, energy, mobility, and consumption. These are not necessarily viewed from an integrative spatial perspective or in relation to urban design. Next to other seminars and projects which I have taught, my colleagues and I (Prof. Henning Baurmann, Vertr.-Prof. Ulrike Franke, Prof. Jan Kliebe, Prof. Joachim Raab, Prof. Alexander Reichel, Prof. Astrid Schmeing, Vertr. Prof. Michael Schröder and several lecturers) have worked with 190 third-year students on integrative urban designs addressing s:ne’s themes. These designs reveal focus areas (building, energy, mobility, consumption) that have an aesthetic and cultural dimension. In order to enhance public discourse and to participate in the transformative process, these student designs have been presented to a wider public in the Schader-Stiftung.

Key words: transdisciplinary research, CO₂ reduction, sustainable urban development, urban design, teaching results enriching the transformative process