Urban research − understanding urban change in its diversity

Anna-Lena van der Vlugt, Janina Welsch, Noriko Otsuka – scientists from the research group “Mobility and Space” – have published an article in the journal “Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice”. It presents the results of one of the first transportation studies analysing the determinants of perceived walkability and how it affects walking behaviour. The results show that perceived walkability is mainly affected by walking attitudes and that perceived walkability has an impact on walking frequency, walking distance and walking duration. It is therefore important for policy makers and urban planners to increase perceived walkability levels to stimulate walking, thereby improving physical activity and the liveability of neighbourhoods. For further studies, it is also suggested to analyse the relationship between perceived and objectively measured walkability in greater detail and to investigate the applied SPWS (Short Perceived Walkability Scale; compact scale for measuring perceived walkability), its determinants and the results of walking in other contexts as well. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2025.104498. Further current selected papers can be found here.

ILS researchers Janina Welsch, Noriko Otsuka and Anna-Lena van der Vlugt have published an article in the “Journal of Urban Mobility”. The study examined and compared walking satisfaction in three case study cities in Europe: Dortmund, Genoa, and Gothenburg as part of the EU project „WalkUrban“. By analyzing household survey data, levels and determinants of walking satisfaction within and between the cities were explored, using the Satisfaction with Travel Scale to measure walking satisfaction. The results show that levels of walking satisfaction differ between the cities and also in terms of several sub-dimensions. However, the findings expand the existing body of knowledge about determinants of walking satisfaction in different urban settings and provides vital insights for urban planning and policies determined to foster walking-friendly and satisfactory local urban environments. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urbmob.2025.100109. Further current selected papers can be found here.

Barbara Schröter, ILS researcher in the research group Spatial Planning and Urban Design, has published a paper in the journal Revista de Ciencas Ambientales – Tropical Journal of Environmental Sciences together with colleagues from the University of Costa Rica. They compare the institutional design of the river basin organisation of Costa Rica‘s two largest rivers, the Río Grande de Tárcoles and the Río Reventazón. Their strength and weaknesses are discussed and further implications for integrated water resources management in Costa Rica are discovered.
https://doi.org/10.15359/rca.59-2.8. Further current selected papers can be found here.

In collaboration with other colleagues, ILS researcher Thomas Weith has published a paper in the journal „Sustainable Development“. The paper synthesizes perspectives from multiple disciplines on the transition to sustainable and resillient agrifood systems (SARAS). It covers the consensus of the researchers, current research positions, and actionable measures compromising ecological, economic, social, and political dimensions. The authors plead for an holistic system approach to cover both global and local dimensions of agrifood systems, leverage synergies and mitigate unintended impacts on other countries and vulnerable groups. Unsolved issues, including matters of scaling, applicability of effective policy instruments, and securing the funding for the transformation are mentioned. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3468. Further current selected papers can be found here.

Isabel Ramos Lobato, ILS researcher in the research group „Urban Social Space“ has written a contribution to the „Handbuch Stadtsoziologie“. The article illustrates the extent of social segregation in German elementary schools, the potential consequences of de-mixing in schools and which factors contribute to school segregation. This includes residential segregation patterns, individual education choice and institutional factors, such as admission regulations and school profiling. It uncovers that mixed neighborhoods do not lead automatically to mixed elementary schools: Children with different socio-economic backgrounds are even stronger segregated in school than in the quarters they grow up in. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-42419-0_30-1. Further current selected papers can be found here.