Dr.-Ing. Genet Alem

Academic education:

• 2011: Dr. Ing. Degree in Spatial Planning, Dissertation „Traditional Use and Meaning of Urban Spaces: The case of Highland Towns of North Ethiopia“, TU Dortmund, Germany
• 2002 – 2004: M.Sc. Spatial Planning for Regions in Growing Economies (SPRING), TU Dortmund, Germany and Universitity Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• 1991 – 1995: Study of Architecture, CUJAE (Centro Universitario José Antonio Echeverría), Havana, Cuba

Work experience:

• Since 2017: Researcher, GOPLAREA  project, IRPUD, Department of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund, Germany
• Since 2015: Academic staff, IPS, Department of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund, Germany
• 2013 – 2015: Guest Lecturer, PLIQ (Planning Education in Iraq), TU Dortmund, Germany and University of Duhok, Iraq
• 2011 – 2013: Freelance researcher and consultant (Partners: District Government of Arnsberg, TU Dortmund, UNAM – Mexico, Universidad Barcelona, CEA-IUL – Portugal)
• 2009 – 2010: Lecturer, ECSU (Ethiopian Civil Service University), Urban Management Master Program, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• 2007: Project coordination and supervision, PHOENIX Park Dortmund, LEG Stadtentwicklung GmbH & Co.KG, Germany
• 1999 – 2002: Architect Planner, ORAAMP (Office for the Revision of Addis Ababa Master Plan), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• 1998 – 1999: Architect Planner, Addis Ababa Works and Urban Development Bureau, Ethiopia
• 1996 – 1997: Architect Planner, NUPI (National Urban Planning Institute), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Scholarships & awards:

• 2011: DAAD Prize for the Outstanding Achievement of a Foreign Student
• 2009: DAAD Scholarship Award for PhD Research in Ethiopia
• 2002: KAAD Scholarship Award for Masters Studies in Urban and Regional Planning and Management in Germany and Tanzania
• 2000: Addis Ababa Urban Development and Works Bureau, Award for outstanding professional input 
• 1989: ICAP (Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos), Scholarship Award for Architecture study in Cuba

Language skills:

• Amharic: Mother tongue
• German: Business fluent
• English: Business fluent
• Spanish: Business fluent

Research areas:

• Urban resilient land governance
• Risk and Critical Infrastructure management
• Transformation and dynamics of built environment and urban spaces

Research projects (at IPS):

• Since 2017: GOPLAREA (Governance and Planning of Resilient Cities in East Africa), BMBF and DAAD
• 2016 – 2017: Evaluation long-term study “Global Learning for Sustainable Development”, Phase II, DAAD

Publications:

• Alem, G., Hassan, A., Greiving, S., Kombe, W. (eds.) (2022) ‘Planning Cities in Africa—Current Issues and Future Prospects of Urban Governance and Planning: An Introduction‘ in The Urban Book Series. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-06550-7_1.
• Alem, G. and Domogalla, F. (2022) ‘The alley as an expression of urban form: Understanding the logic of African urban dynamics’, in Journal of Urban Affairs. doi: 10.1080/07352166.2022.2070496.
• Alem, G. and Namangaya, A. (2021) ‘Households’ and Community Initiatives Towards City Resilience: The Case of Flood Resilience in Dar es Salaam’, in Faldi, Fisher, Moretto (eds.) African Cities Through Local Eyes. Cham: SPRINGER.
• Alem, G. (2021) ‘Urban Plans and conflicting Interests in Sustainable Cross-Boundary Land Governance, the case of National Urban and Regional Plans in Ethiopia, in Sustainability 13(3081), pp.c 1-23,
• Alem, G. and Scholz, W. (eds.) (2019) ‘Resilient Urban Development vs. Right to the City’, in Trialog Journal, 134.
• Alem, G., Scholz, W. and Alfaro d Alencon, P. (eds.) (2017) ‘Who Wins and Who loses? Exploring and Learning from Transformations and Actors in the Cities of the South’, in Trialog Journal, 122.
• Scholz, W., Alfaro d Alencon und Alem, G. (2017) ‘Who Wins and Who loses? Exploring and Learning from Transformations and Actors in the Cities of the South’, in Trialog Journal, 122., pp. 4-7.
• Alem, G. (2016) ‘Persisting Meanings and Evolving Spaces,’ in Heisel, F. and Kifle, B. (eds.) Lessons of Informality: Architecture and Urban Planning for Emerging Territories. Concepts from Ethiopia. Basel: Birkhäuser, pp. 93-107
• Alem, G. (2012) ‘Holy Places or contested Public Spaces?’, in Trialog Journal, 107, pp. 48-52.
• Alem, G. (2011) Traditional Use and Meaning of Urban Spaces, the Case of Highland Towns of North Ethiopia. Hamburg: Dr. Kovac Publisher.
• Alem, G. (2010) ‘Traditional Values, Meaning and Use of Urban Space’, in Brunfaut, V. et al. (eds.) The Production, Use and Dissemination of Urban Knowledge in Cities of the South. Brussels: KUL.

Thesis supervision:

I am happy to supervise thesis projects on topics such as:

• Urban-rural-linkage in the Global South (Urban-rural-linkages and impacts on the role of sustainable regional development)
• Informal urban development (Urban informality and state regulation; Urban governance and role of actors at grassroots level)
• Land use management, climate change, climate adaptation in developing and emerging countries (Analysis of land management system in a city or region in the Global South; Climate change and climate adaption in the Global South)
• Issues of urban studies (Transformation of urban space)

Currently taught courses (SoSe 2022):

• B.Sc. Spatial Planning: F03 “Displaced, Misplaced or Replaced? Spaces of Urban Regeneration and Inclusivity”

Selected past courses:

• M.Sc. SPRING: “Programme Planning and Project Management” (2021/22)
• M.Sc. SPRING: M-Workshop “Planning Cycle: Analysis, Planning, Implementation” (2020/21)
• B.Sc. Spatial Planning: A05 „Halle-Neustadt: Geschichte und Gegenwart einer Großwohnsiedlung“ (2019)
• M.Sc. Spatial Planning: “International Urban Planning Challenges” (2017)
• B.Sc. Spatial Planning: „Raumplanung International“ (2015-2018)