Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Knöll
Dr Knöll is full professor at Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. In Darmstadt, he directs the Urban Design and Planning Unit at the Department of Architecture. Together with his team of more than 10 researchers, Dr Knöll aims to contribute to the much-needed transformation of cities towards more inclusive and healthy living environments. His current research focuses on building empiric data in neuro urbanism and new participatory approaches in people-centered urban design. He is a registered architect and is active in working groups at the German Institute of Urbanism and the Academy of Territorial Planning in the Leibnitz Society. In 2020, Dr Knöll has been awarded a Heisenberg Grant by the German Research Association (DFG) for his project “Urban Design and Health”.
| 09/2021 | Full Professor (W3) of Urban Design and Planning,TU Darmstadt |
| 2020 | Associate Professor of Architecture and Wellbeing, Aalborg University, DK, declined |
| 2014 – 2021 | Assistant Professor (W1) of Urban Health Games, TU Darmstadt |
| 2013 – 2014 | Research Group Leader, TU Darmstadt |
| 2012 – 2013 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology |
| 2012 | Doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) in Architecture and Urban Planning, Universität Stuttgart |
| 2010 – | Registered Architect, Architekten- und Stadtplanerkammer Hessen |
| 2009 – 2012 | DAAD Doctoral Fellow, Middlesex University London, United Kingdom |
| 2007 | Diploma (Dipl.Ing.) in Architecture, Universität Stuttgart |
| Funded research projects as principal investigator (PI) | |
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| 2025 – 2028 | Beate Heller-Foundation Research Group, “Urban Community Mental Health”, € 560,000 for consortium, € 180,000 for PI |
| 2024 – 2028 | DFG Research Training Group, “Organising Architectures”, € 5.4 Mio for consortium, € 279,000 for PI |
| 2023 – 2024 |
City of Wiesbaden, Bahnhofs.Quartier Biebrich: Integrating ‘Design for All’ in sustainable urban development, with büro grauwert, Hamburg € 49,500 |
| 2021 – 2026 | Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Heisenberg program: Urban Design and Health, € 593,620 |
| 2021 – 2024 | DFG project grant: Restorative Boulevards – Urban design elements to promote mental wellbeing in inner-city arterial streets of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main agglomeration, Germany, € 247,370 |
| 2018 – 2022 | Research excellence programme of the State of Hesse: LOEWE SP Infrastructure – Design – Society; Urban Design & Multimodal Mobilities , € 3.5 Mio (€ 460,000 PI) |
| 2019 – 2022 | European Union Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership: UrbanScope – Urban Sustainable Mobility in focus: student education, community involvement and participative planning , total € 300,000 for consortium (€ 98,000 for PI) |
| 2021 – 2022 | German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): International Virtual Academic Collaboration 2021-2022 – Transatlantic Architectural Discourse, € 38,000 |
| 2020 – 2021 | DAAD: International Virtual Academic Collaboration 2020-2021 – Transatlantic Architectural Discourse, € 168,892 for consortium (€ 50,000 PI) |
| 2019 – 2020 | City of Frankfurt: Temporary Traffic Calming at River Mainkai – Before / After Study of Pedestrian Comfort, € 30,000 |
| 2018 – 2019 | City of Darmstadt: Green and Active Schoolyards – Design interventions to promote physical activity and climate adaptation, € 21,000 |
| 2018 | DFG International Scientific Event: Accessible Hubs – International workshop on Universal Design in urban mobility systems , 8th and 9th November 2018, € 13,200 |
| 2016 – 2019 | Coordinator of EU / DAAD Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership: PREHealth – Promoting education and jobs to enhance the use of urban blue and green infrastructure for health and fitness , € 355,000 (€ 122,000) |
| 2017 – 2019 | Frankfurter Buchmesse GmbH: Frankfurt Book Fair for All – Improving pedestrian accessibility by addressing physical and informational barriers , € 68,000 |
| 2017 | Novo Nordisk Germany: Cities Changing Diabetes, € 3,500 |
| 2016 – 2018 | TU Darmstadt Seed Fund: Active Learning Spaces – a pilot study on co design in healthy schools , € 18,000 |
| 2016 – 2017 | ECE Project Management GmbH: Pedestrian accessibility and user perception in Aquis Plaza Aachen , € 39,000 |
| 2016 | German Diabetes Foundation + City of Stuttgart public health funds: Urban design, physical activity and diabetes therapy for young type-1-patients , € 11,000 |
| 2016 – 2020 | TU Darmstadt Grant Excellence in Teaching: Smart and Inclusive Cities , € 80,000 |
| 2013 – 2016 | TU Darmstadt Grant for Interdisciplinary Teaching: Urban Health Games, € 135,000 (€ 25,000) |
| 2022 | EDAD Award 2022 – “Excellent Design For All”. Award for research and teaching with the “Inclusive Lab” |
| 2021 | Athene Preis für Gute Lehre – Award for Good Teaching |
| 2020 | DFG Heisenberg Grant "Urban Design and Health“ |
| 2019 | Award 2019 »Excellent Design for All« for Frankfurt Book Fair project |
| 2017 | Travel Grant, Strategic Partnership TU Darmstadt / Virginia Tech, Washington D.C. |
| 2015 | Travel Grant, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Washington D.C. |
| 2013 – 2018 | Appointed Research Group Leader in TU Darmstadt University Industry Collaborative (UNICO) Initiative, Funding for own position + research infrastructure + 1 PhD student, externally funded by State of Hesse with € 814,000. |
| 2012 – 2013 | Fellow, AkademieSchloss Solitude, Stuttgart (Juror: Prof. Beatriz Colomina, Princeton University, NJ) |
| 2009 – 2012 | Doctoral Fellowship, Landesgraduiertenstiftung Baden-Württemberg |
| 2008 – 2009 | Karl-Steinbuch Fellowship, MFG Stiftung Baden-Württemberg |
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2024 Knöll, Martin, „Die Straßen von Berlin – welche Rolle spielt das Straßennetzwerk Deines Quartiers in der neuronalen Stressverarbeitung?“, 40. Jahrestreffen der Professuren des Straßenwesens, TU Darmstadt, 18. Juli 2024 |
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2023 Knöll, Martin, „Gesunde Städte entwerfen“, städtebaulichen Kolloquium, RWTH Aachen, 07.11.2023. Im Rahmen von Gesunde Stadtlandschaft Knöll, Martin, Design für Alle – gute Beispiele aus der Stadtplanung? Im Kulturkaufhaus Biebrich, Wiesbaden, 1. November 2023 Knöll, Martin, Stress and the Streets – How the network structure of streets is associated with stress-related brain activation, Arbeitsgruppe gesundheitsfördernde Gemeinde- und Stadtentwicklung (AGGSE), Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik, Berlin, 6. Februar 2023, online |
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2022 Knöll, Martin, „Stadtgestaltung und mentale Gesundheit – Zur Rolle des Straßennetzwerks“, DGPPN Kongress 2022, Symposium: Klimawandel und psychische Gesundheit – was hilft gegen „Eco-Distress“?, Berlin, am 24.11.2022 Knöll, Martin, “Ich sehe was, das Du nicht siehst – Beteiligung von Kindern und Jugendlichen in der Stadtplanung fördern”, 08. – 09. November 2022, UNESCO-Welterbe Zollverein, Essen Knöll, Martin, Podiumsdiskussion, Neue Räume für die Mobilität in Frankfurt, Uni Frankfurt – Räume für die Mobilität in Frankfurt, 5. Juli 2022, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. |
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2021 Knöll, Martin, Co-Design gesundheitsförderlicher Stadträume, Digitale Tandemveranstaltung “Nachhaltige StadtGesundheit” (opens in new tab), Hamburg, 17 November 2021 Knöll, Martin, Universal Design in der Stadtgestaltung, Beitrag zur Podiumsdiskussion auf der Hypermotion Frankfurt, 15.9.2021 Knöll, Martin: Mobilität, autonomes & vernetztes Fahren und Städtebau, Beitrag zu „Koalitionsvertrag im Expertise-Check“, TU Darmstadt, 25. November 2021 Knöll, Martin, Gesundheitsfördernde Stadtplanung, Fachtagung Stadtpsychologie, 18. September 2021, Psych-Alumni der Universität Zürich. Knöll, Martin, Aktivierende urbane Freiräume mitgestalten – Spielerische Interventionen in der Stadtplanung, Diabetes Kongress 2021, 13. Mai 2021, Deutsche Diabetes Gesellschaft, online. Knöll, Martin, Inklusive, gesunde Städte, Berufungsvortrag für die Professur Entwerfen und Stadtplanung , TU Darmstadt, 12. Februar 2021, online. |
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2020 Knöll, Martin, Teilnahme an der Podiumsdiskussion „Innenstadt“ in der Reihe „Frankfurt machen“, 20.08.2002, Mainkai Café, Frankfurt am Main. Knöll, Martin, Stadtumbauprojekt Darmstadt Ost – Perspektiven für die Umsetzung einer inklusiven, gesundheitsfördernden Stadtgestaltung?, Kongress Armut und Gesundheit 2020, Berlin. Session – Kongress Armut und Gesundheit 2020 Knöll, Martin, Digitale Werkzeuge für gesunde Städte, Akademisches Viertel, Forum für Interdisziplinäre Forschung (FiF), 15.01.2020, TU Darmstadt. Das Akademische Viertel Knöll, Martin, Street networks and isovists analysis in Neurourbanism, Cognitive Science Colloquium, 15.01.2020, Centre of Cognitive Science, TU Darmstadt. Cognitive Science |
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2019 Knöll, Martin, Von Schweinehunden und Bewegungsrouten – Digitale Beteiligungswerkzeuge für gesunde Städte, 13. Bundeskongress Nationale Stadtentwicklungspolitik 2019 (opens in new tab) , 19.10.2019, Stuttgart. Knöll, Martin, On isovists and street networks in Neurourbanism, Ph.d. Course: ARCHITECTURE, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, AND PHILOSOPHY (opens in new tab) , 02.102019, Aalborg University, Denmark. Knöll, Martin, An introduction to the EU Erasmus+ funded action and research project PREHealth, International Conference “Promoting the use of urban blue and green infrastructure for health and fitness“, 20.06.2019, Athens, Greece. Knöll, Martin, ”Public space and pedestrian stress perception: Insights from Germany“, Symposium: Reframing Research on Urban Mobility and Wellbeing: new technologies, global contexts, Einberufen von: Sara Carr, Northeastern University, Jenny Roe, University of Virginia, EDRA50 Brooklyn Sustainable Urban Environments, NYC, 22.-26.05.2019. Knöll, Martin, “Green, Active, Open – Approaches from Health-Promoting Urban Planning”, at the event Healthy or sick: A question of where you live? – What does urban development contribute?, Munich, 19.05.2019. |
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2018 Knöll, Martin: „Urban Design and Mobility" at the interdisciplinary forum of the Schader-Stiftung in Darmstadt, 30.10.2018 Knöll, Martin: „City Backstage Park – Activating Green Spaces with Urban Acupuncture“, 4. Bürgerveranstaltung Stadtumbau Darmstadt-Ost, Stiftskirche Darmstadt, 13. Juni 2018. Flyer (opens in new tab) Knöll, Martin: “Movement-Promoting Architectures”, Department of Architecture / Interior Design Hochschule Darmstadt, 7. Juni 2018. Knöll, Martin, “City as a Health-Promoting Living Environment? Approaches from Urban Planning”, at the event Healthy or Sick – a Question of Where You Live?, Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank, München, 19. März 2018. |
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2017 Knöll, Martin and Holder, Martin, (Klinikum Stuttgart), “Urban factors influencing physical activity and diabetes therapy“, Health Conference Stuttgart, Stuttgart, 14 November Knöll, Martin, Health-promoting urban design, ”Smart Cities and Urban Solutions – a Danish-German Exchange“, Kgl. Dänische Botschaft, Berlin, 13th Oct 2017 Knöll, Martin, "Innovative GIS based approaches for healthy city planning“, CityHealth 2017, Basle, 13-14th Sep 2017 Knöll, Martin. Digital participation in health-promoting urban design, ARL Kongress 2017: Integrating health into spatial planning, Potsdam, 11.+12.05. 2017 Knöll, Martin, Collective Mapping of Health Promoting Urban Spaces, German Alliance Non-Communicable Diseases (DANK), German Diabetes Foundation, Berlin, 05.04.2017 |
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2016 Knöll, Martin. Mobile Participation. Healthy New Cities. Evening lectures of the AG Stadtforschung, TU Darmstadt: Research Group Urban Health Games. Poster (opens in new tab) Knöll, Martin, Environmental factors and tools to analyze perceived stress in open spaces. ANFA 2016: CONNECTIONS – BRIDGESYNAPSES. 23rd-24th September 2016, La Jolla, CA: Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. Full video Knöll, Martin, Mobile Participation in Design & Health – tools to learn about and co design healthy places, Invited talk in session: Innovative spatial methods and tools for Healthy City Planning, Dortmund: TU Dortmund & Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (ARL), 09.06.2016 Knöll, Martin, Inter- and transdisciplinary reflection on health-promoting urban development for all: national and international perspectives, participation in panel discussion moderated by Rainer Fehr and Sabine Baumgart, City of the Future: Promoting Sustainability and Health Together – New Methodological Approaches, Dortmund: TU Dortmund & Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL), 09.06.2016 |
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2015 Knöll, Martin, „Active Design – health promoting urban design?.“ Sufficiency Strategies – Urban Architecture, Summer School, Department of Architecture, TU Darmstadt, 22.07.2015 Knöll, Martin. “E-Partizipation als innovatives Instrument zur Beteiligungsförderung.“ Experten-Workshop: Gesundheitsfördernde Stadtregionen des Arbeitskreises „Planung für gesundheitsfördernde Stadtregionen“. Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (ARL). TU Dortmund, 8. + 9.06.2015 Knöll, Martin. „Gameful Green – Promoting walkability in suburbia.“, Symposium Peripheral Museum of Contemporary Art (PMCA), Architectural Association, School of Architecture London. Visiting Summer School im Salon Kennedy, Frankfurt, 15.03.2015 |
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2014 Knöll, Martin. „Urbanism, health promotion and games.“ Geeloquium – Games and Experimental Entertainment Lab, Prof. Dr. Steffen Walz, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, RMIT Europe, Karlsruhe, 16.10.2014 Knöll, Martin. “Architecture & … the Urban Condition.” Group Exhibition, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, AKADEMIE SCHLOSS SOLITUDE, 22.11.2013 – 22.01.2014 |
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2013 Knöll, Martin. ““Digital Games for Health Promoting Cities.” Lecture at the Bended Realities Festival 2013, Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach, 25.05.2013 |
| 2023 | International Working Group "Urban Planning for Health Equity“, Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association (ARL) |
| 2020 | Scientific Board “Public Health Congress” TU Berlin |
| Since 2019 | Board of Directors, UrbanGrad – Graduate School of Urban Studies / Interdisciplinary PhD Programme at TU Darmstadt |
| Since 2018 | Department Representative, Ingenium – Young Researchers at TU Darmstadt |
| Since 2017 | Member of Task Force “Health-oriented Urban Planning“ / Gesundheitsfördernde Gemeinde- und Stadtentwicklung (AGGSE), Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik, Berlin |
| 2017 – 2019 | Member of Ethics Commission, TU Darmstadt |
| 2017 | Reviewer for journals Environment and Planning B, Building and Environment, Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behaviour |
Picture: Gregor Schuster
