Since 2015, the chair of Design and Urban Development (EST), headed by Prof. Dr. Annette Rudolph-Cleff, has regularly participated in the international competition “Designing Resilience in Asia”—recently renamed “Designing Resilience Global”—organized by the National University of Singapore. Competition successes were achieved in 2016 and 2025. In 2020, the corresponding teaching and research module received the AESOP Excellence in Teaching Award.

The chair is also actively involved in the large LOEWE-funded research network EmergenCITY – The Digital Resilient City, which investigates the resilience of future digital cities, with special emphasis on critical infrastructures and the role of information and communication technologies. The contribution of EST lies in pursuing a holistic, interconnected, and integrated approach that combines technical solutions with socio-spatial tools and develops scalable strategies for buildings, neighborhoods, and the entire city.

In 2020, Prof. Dr. Martin Knöll from the chair of Urban Design and Planning (UDP) became the first architect to be admitted to the prestigious Heisenberg Programme of the DFG for his project “Health-Promoting Urban Design.” Research and teaching address health issues in metropolitan areas from the perspective of urban planning and design within interdisciplinary teams. The goal is to develop design strategies that support the urgently needed transition toward healthy and inclusive cities.

The chair of Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban Ecology (ELS)—reappointed in autumn 2025 with Prof. Martin Roth—will focus in research and teaching on integrated, interdisciplinary solutions for the development of urban open spaces within climate adaptation strategies. This includes practice-oriented approaches reflected in Martin Roth’s professional work.

To support the establishment of the Center for Resilient Cities, Prof. Dr. Jörg Dettmar, who retired in spring 2025, continues to contribute to the Department of Architecture. He draws on decades of experience in sustainability research, particularly in urban landscapes, climate adaptation strategies for large and small cities, and urban greening initiatives. One example is the development and implementation of strategies for the transformation and climate adaptation of aging industrial zones.

The Cities Lab also participated in the interdisciplinary Research Training Group KRITIS – Critical Infrastructures: Construction, Functional Crises, and Protection in Cities, which from 2016 to 2025 explored critical infrastructures in urban contexts. The consortium included historians; infrastructure and spatial planners; civil engineers; sociologists; electrical engineers; philosophers; political scientists; architects; and computer scientists.

Another important element in sustainability research was the interdisciplinary graduate school URBANgrad, closely linked with the Cities Lab and part of TU Darmstadt’s Urban Research focus. During its active years, numerous doctoral projects were supervised there.

The potential of interdisciplinary collaboration in urban research is further strengthened by the Center’s connection to the Urban Research Network at TU Darmstadt. For almost 20 years, around thirty departments across sociology, political science, history, philosophy, architecture, sports science, civil and environmental engineering, geosciences, computer science, linguistics, archaeology, art history, urban planning, and economics have collaborated in thematic research groups.

On the international level, the Cities Lab can point to extensive expertise and a broad network. Associated with the group—under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Annette Rudolph-Cleff from 2018 onwards—was Mundus Urbano (MU), a consortium of four European universities that from 2007 to 2020 offered the interdisciplinary Master of Science program “International Cooperation in Urban Development.” The two-year program focused primarily on urban development challenges in the Global South. Many graduates now hold leading positions in governmental and non-governmental organizations across a wide range of countries in the Global South.