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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

03/19/2023

New article by Dorcas Nthoki Nyamai

The article deals with walking in Nairobi in the context of social justice

Junction next to a shopping mall in the Kilimani area in Nairobi
03/19/2023

F02 Project "My Way or the Highway" in Namibia

The student research project went on an excursion to Namibia

People on a street in Windhoek, Namibia (2023)
03/19/2023

CfP (online symposium): "Flow/ Overflow/ Shortage: on measuring and managing extreme urban conditions"

Moritz Kasper co-organizes an online symposium on 24. & 25. May 2023

canal in hanoi, vietnam (2009)
02/07/2023

New article by Raffael Beier published

The article explores why low-income people leave state housing in South Africa

Several small huts in the area of Khayelitsha in Cape Town
02/07/2023

Joint article by Moritz Kasper and Sophie Schramm

The article published in the journal urban Studies deals with water and electricity storage as critical infrastructure in Nairobi

Roadside stalls selling plastic jerry cans in the Kariokor area in Nairobi
11/22/2022

Call for paper: Infra-spacing African Urban Futures beyond “Concrete” visions

Sophie Schramm and Genet Alem chair panel at ECAS2023 conference

many people on a big street in Adis Ababa. Many people selling things by the roadside
11/22/2022

List of Thesis Topic Proposals updated

You don't have a topic for your Bachelor's or Master's thesis yet?

Then let yourself be inspired by our list of Thesis Topic Proposals!

news-icon dissertation display
09/14/2022

Joint article by Sophie Schramm and Francis Dakyaga

The article published in the journal Urban Geography deals with the everyday practices and spatiality of water access in Daressalaam

People with water containers who want to fill drinking water from a huge water tank
08/31/2022

New article 'The alley as an expression of urban form' by Genet Alem published

The article is published in the Journal of Urban Affairs and focuses on understanding factors that contribute to the contingency of African cities

Bus stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
08/29/2022

new book 'Planning Cities in Africa- Current Issues and Future Prospects of Urban Governance and Planning' published by Springer

'Planning Cities in Africa' edited by Genet Alem Gebregiorgis, among others, deals with future perspectives in planning on the African continent

[Translate to English:]
08/26/2022

Raffael Beier admitted into TU Dortmund’s Young Academy

Dr. Raffael Beier receives research funding and is accepted into the Young Academy of TU Dortmund University

Housing in Casablanca, Morocco (2022)
08/10/2022

Joint article by Dorcas Nyamai and Sophie Schramm

In the Journal of Urban Affairs, both researchers discuss mobility and spatial justice in Nairobi

Junction next to a shopping mall in the Kilimani area in Nairobi
07/13/2022

Raffael Beier gives a speech at the congress of the African Union of Architects in Rabat

On 4 and 5 July 2022, he presented his work on peripheral urbanisation in Casablanca

Raffael Beier at the Annual Congress of the African Union of Architects on 4 and 5 July at the Mohammed V Theatre in Rabat, Morocco (2022)
06/02/2022

New chapter by Sophie Schramm on changing sanitation in Hanoi

In the technical report "Overcoming Institutional and Organisational Barriers", Sophie Schramm discusses the changing sanitation in Hanoi

Employees of the Hanoi Sewage and Drainage Company, Hanoi, Vietnam (2009)
06/01/2022

New essay on "ordinary neighbourhoods"

In Planning Theory, Raffael Beier takes a critical look at the term 'slum'

An outside perspective of Casablanca’s Er-Rhamna shantytown
05/24/2022

Lecture by Prof. Schramm in Cologne

On June 23, 2022, Prof. Schramm will give a lecture on informal settlements in Nairobi

View over the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi
05/24/2022

IPS doctoral project honored

TU Dortmund's "Global Gallery" Award goes to Dorcas Nyamai

Photo of the representatives of the winning projects with the Rector of TU Dortmund University and the Deputy Head of the International Affairs Department at the Global Gallery event in 2022.
05/03/2022

New article about digitalisation of energy access in Nairobi

Prof. Sophie Schramm, Prof. Monstadt, and Dr. Guma discuss the conflicting rationalities in the deployment of digital prepaid electricity systems in…

Several power meters behind bars next to a stairway in the residential compound of Canaan Estate in Nairobi
04/19/2022

International Planning Sessions 2022

Five lectures by international experst - for students, doctoral researchers, and everyone interested

Street scene in Old Delhi
04/19/2022

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Comparative Urban Research

Deadline for abstracts for the special issues (Urban Planning journal) is 15 December 2022.

Aerial shot of a quarter in Ho Chi Minh City
03/30/2022

New edited volume published by Routledge

Edited by Dr. Raffael Beier and others, the volume is titled "Urban Resettlements in the Global South."

Several small huts in the area of Khayelitsha in Cape Town
03/01/2022

Stu­di­eninfotage 2022 (08.04. & 03.06.2022)

During the "Stu­di­eninfotage," the faculty offers in-depth details on its bachelor's degree program in spatial planning (German only).

Several people on chairs who partcipate in a public discussion as part of a student project on so-called 'Trinkhallen' in Dortmund
06/15/2021

INTERPART Reader published

The open access reader "Beteiligung interkulturell gestalten" was published by jovis Verlag

Girl in front of pin wall with notes as part of the INTERPART project in Berlin

Location & approach