IPS (International Planning Studies), TU Dortmund - IPS - TU Dortmund

Welcome to the IPS research group!

Find out more about our teaching and research dealing with urban change and planning across the globe!

At the International Planning Studies (IPS) research group, we emphasise diverse perspectives on urbanization and spatial planning across the world. IPS focuses on infrastructure, mobility, housing, and governance.

Headed by Prof. Dr. Sophie Schramm, IPS is also responsible for the international Master's degree program SPRING.

News and events

New publication by Philipa Birago Akuoko

The article examines how “commoning” in Kumasi can serve as a customary law basis for more inclusive urban governance.

There is a market in the global south. There are people walking around with goods on their heads, balancing them

New publication by Raffael Beier

The article examines why former slum dwellers do not move into state-subsidized housing or leave it again.

A field with many plots of land for sale

New TRIALOG issue on ‘Reflexive Research Practices’ co-edited by Raffael Beier

Together with Nadine Appelhans (TU Berlin) and Janek Becker (TU Dortmund), Raffael Beier (IPS) has edited a new TRIALOG special issue on reflexive…

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Sophie Schramm publishes an article on the results of ICOLMA research

The article describes how differently migrants in the Ruhr region were affected by COVID-19 and what coping strategies they used.

Philipa Birago Akuoko publishes a new article on informal women's work in public spaces.

This article examines the significance of informal women's work in public spaces in the Global South.

A woman carries a large metal basin filled with blue bags on her head while holding a child secured on her back with a patterned cloth. She is walking along a busy street with vehicles and other people in the background.

New publication by Sophie Schramm

This article examines how COVID-19 has shaped experiences with water supply in the Nairobi neighborhoods of Kibera and Eastleigh.

Many people queuing at a newly errected free-water point in the Kibera area in Nairobi

Successful completion of the workshop on the topic "Ordinary Infrastructures" in Dakar

After five intense days full of new impressions, the workshop in Dakar came to an inspiring conclusion.

Workshop in Dakar on the topic "Ordinary Infrastructures – African Articulations of Urban Infrastructures beyond the Other"

An interdisciplinary roundtable workshop entitled "Ordinary Infrastructures" addresses urban infrastructures in African cities.

Roadside stalls selling plastic jerry cans in the Kariokor area in Nairobi

Here you can find archived news and events.