| Semester: | 2. |
| Credits: | 12 CP |
| Duration: | 1 Semester |
| Module Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Uta Hohn |
| Contact hours: | 6 SWS |
| Selfstudy: | 250 h |
| Group size: | 15 |
The students have comprehensive and profound knowledge of urban and regional development in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region and are able to convey this knowledge to foreign fellow students using the example of concrete projects as well as to discuss it in an internationally comparative manner on the basis of selected criteria after an intensive examination of current trends, strategies, concepts and projects of urban and regional development in a metropolitan region abroad. Through the intensive cooperation with their foreign fellow students, they have significantly expanded their didactic, social and intercultural skills.
Topics of urban and regional development in metropolitan regions outside Germany as well as the comparison with developments in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region are the focus of this course. Students will be involved in the conception and design of a 5-7 day Summer School on current topics of urban and regional development in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region for students of an East Asian partner university, in particular the University of Tsukuba, Japan. From a comparative perspective, they also participate in a 5-7 day Summer School organized by the partners in East Asia. Students who do not wish to participate in the Summer School in East Asia are alternatively offered a 5-7 day excursion to a European metropolitan region.
Seminar in preparation for the two 5-7 day Summer Schools with lectures, discussions, excursions, expert talks, field work and final workshops.
The implementation of the excursions and their joint preparation and reflection in the discursive process, e.g. in the context of the seminar or the final discussions and the final workshop, require compulsory attendance.
Option 1:
Option 2:
Performance assessment: Summer School Rhine-Ruhr = 50% and Summer School abroad = 50%.
Conditions for granting credit points
Sum of the examination task achievements at least 50%
Usage of the module
Compulsory module M.Sc. Geography, specialization 'Urban and Regional Development Management
Stellenwert der Note für die Endnote
The module grade is CP-weighted (12/120) and is included in the final M.Sc. grade.
| Lecturers: | Uta Hohn, Andreas Farwick |
| Course type: | Other |
| Registration: | eCampus Registration via eCampus from 08.12.-12.12.2025 |
| Examination components: | Reader Summer School Ruhr and design of a Summer School Day Ruhr; term paper Tokyo with comparative perspective |
| Target audience: | Master students of the 2nd M.Sc. semester specializing in urban and regional development management |
| Requirements: | Module "Governance in Cities and Regions" of the 1st M.Sc. semester, English language skills |
Students acquire comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of urban and regional development and its governance by intensively studying current trends, strategies, concepts and projects of urban and regional development in the Ruhr metropolis as well as in a comparative perspective with either the Tokyo metropolitan region or the Vienna metropolitan region. This includes researching, analyzing and evaluating information and the ability to form one's own, well-founded opinion. Furthermore, communicative skills are acquired by presenting, discussing and moderating academic topics, also in teams. Students also significantly expand their didactic, social and intercultural skills through encounters with foreign students and academics as well as experts from the field in both metropolitan regions.
ContentCurrent topics relating to urban and regional development and governance in both metropolitan regions will be jointly developed, prepared, and discussed in preparatory seminars and then explored in greater depth during the subsequent summer schools on site. Opportunities for this will be provided in the form of lectures, discussion panels, expert talks, themed tours, and field work on site. A high degree of initiative, teamwork, and self-organization are important prerequisites for participation. The Summer Schools Ruhr, the Summer School Tokyo, and the Summer School Vienna will be based on the New Leipzig Charter under the common theme of “Creating Just, Green, and Productive Metropolitan Futures, Together.” The focus will be on analyzing transformation processes and their governance in urban transformation areas of varying scales, from individual projects to neighborhoods to regions, with a particular focus on the interdependencies and development paths, actors, strategies, concepts, and instruments of “governance of transformation.” The aim is to examine future concepts and projects and critically reflect on their contributions to shaping sustainable and resilient urban futures by exploiting the opportunities offered by digitalization.
Preparatory seminar Summer School Ruhr: Fridays, 13:00-16:00, IA 1/117:
17.04.2026
08.05.2026
22.05.2026
and by arrangement in small groups
Preparatory seminar Summer School Vienna: Wednesdays, 09:00-12:00, from 04.06.2025, IA 02/111
and by arrangement
Summer School Ruhr: probably 10.08.-14.08.2026
Summer School Vienna: probably 06.09.-13.09.2026
Will be announced during the course or is to be researched by the participants.
| Lecturers: | Uta Hohn |
| Course type: | Other |
| Registration: | eCampus Registration via eCampus from 08.12.-17.12.2025 |
| Examination components: | Reader Summer School Ruhr and organization of a Summer School Day Ruhr; term paper Tokyo with comparative perspective |
| Target audience: | Master students of the 2nd M.Sc. semester specializing in urban and regional development management |
| Requirements: | Module "Governance in Cities and Regions" of the 1st M.Sc. semester, English language skills |
Students acquire comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of urban and regional development and its governance by intensively studying current trends, strategies, concepts and projects of urban and regional development in the Ruhr metropolis as well as in a comparative perspective with either the Tokyo metropolitan region or the Vienna metropolitan region. This includes researching, analyzing and evaluating information and the ability to form one's own, well-founded opinion. Furthermore, communicative skills are acquired by presenting, discussing and moderating academic topics, also in teams. Students also significantly expand their didactic, social and intercultural skills through encounters with foreign students and academics as well as experts from the field in both metropolitan regions.
ContentCurrent topics relating to urban and regional development and governance in both metropolitan regions will be jointly developed, prepared, and discussed in preparatory seminars and then explored in greater depth during the subsequent summer schools on site. Opportunities for this will be provided in the form of lectures, discussion panels, expert talks, themed tours, and field work on site. A high degree of initiative, teamwork, and self-organization are important prerequisites for participation. The Summer Schools Ruhr, the Summer School Tokyo, and the Summer School Vienna will be based on the New Leipzig Charter under the common theme of “Creating Just, Green, and Productive Metropolitan Futures, Together.” The focus will be on analyzing transformation processes and their governance in urban transformation areas of varying scales, from individual projects to neighborhoods to regions, with a particular focus on the interdependencies and development paths, actors, strategies, concepts, and instruments of “governance of transformation.” The aim is to examine future concepts and projects and critically reflect on their contributions to shaping sustainable and resilient urban futures by exploiting the opportunities offered by digitalization.
Dates for both preparatory seminars Fridays, 09:00-12:00, IA 1/117:
Summer School Ruhr:
17.04.2026
08.05.2026
22.05.2026
and by arrangement in small groups
Summer School Tokyo:
26.06.2026
03.07.2026
10.07.2026
17.07.2026
and by arrangement
Summer School Ruhr with students from Tsukuba: prob. 27.07.31.07.2026
Summer School Tokyo: 14.09.-18.09.2026 (12.09.-20.09.2026 incl. arrival and departure)
Will be announced during the course or is to be researched by the participants.
No courses are scheduled for this semester.
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Last update: Dez 12, 2023