Area, region, city and district

A spatial perspective is the starting point for many ongoing projects at the Institute for Work and Technology. Functional and social spaces provide the analytical framework for the analysis of actor constellations, networks and clusters, as well as of spatial perceptions and cultures, which cannot be found in politically or administratively defined regions. In projects dealing with structural change, regional and urban development it is all about strategic orientation and the question of how to improve quality of life. In projects concerning local economy and civil engagement it is examined how to activate the resources of a neighbourhood, to prevent circuits of crisis and to enable participation.

Project

Energy transition and digitalisation between decentralisation and centralisation: regional and corporate cultural perspectives

Renewable energy is predominantly volatile: wind power plants are unable to supply electricity without wind, photovoltaic systems rely on sunlight or rather daylight. In regular operation, therefore, overcapacities and undercapacities must be compensated. This leads not only to recurring shutdowns of North German wind farms, but also to passionate – sometimes polemic – debates about sense and nonsense of energy transition.