Prof. Dr. habil. Thorsten Wiechmann

Chair

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann

Profile

Since 2010, Thorsten Wiechmann has been Professor of Spatial Planning and Planning Theory at the TU Dortmund School of Spatial Planning, Germany. From 2018 to 2022, he led this largest European planning faculty as dean. Before moving to Dortmund, he held the chair of spatial planning at TU Dresden, where he was also director of the Institute of Geography. He received his PhD in Geography and Urban Planning from the University of Bonn. From 1998 to 2007, Thorsten Wiechmann was a senior researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development (IÖR) in Dresden. Since 2020, he has served as German representative on the Council of Representatives (CoRep) of AESOP. He has published more than 100 papers and coordinated research projects in more than twenty countries. These activities focused on issues related to the transformation of cities and regions through spatial planning, strategic planning and metropolitan governance procedures and instruments.

Google Scholar Profile

Research

Spatial Planning: instruments and procedures of state and regional planning, regulations on settlement and open space structures, informational and persuasive instruments
Strategic Planning: contents, processes and contexts of strategic spatial planning for cities and regions, evaluation of strategic planning.
Metropolitan Governance: issues of governance and development of polycentric metropolitan areas
Urban River Regeneration: river restoration and urban regeneration, international comparative research on old industrial regions
Urban Restructuring: strategies for restructuring cities and regions in the context of demographic change in Europe, North America and East Asia; safeguarding the provision of services of general interest
Planning theory: reflection of discourses on planning theory, issue attention cycles in planning research, history of spatial planning

CV

2018 - 2022	Dean of the School of Spatial Planning at TU Dortmund University
since 2016	Speaker of the Competence Field Metropolitan Research of the University Alliance Ruhr
since 2014	External Member of the Research Centre for the Local Public Human Resources and Policy Development (LORC), Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan
since 2010	Full Professor for Spatial Planning and Planning Theory and Head of the respective working group at TU Dortmund University
2009 - 2010	Director of the Institute of Geography at TU Dresden University
2008 - 2010	Full Professor for Spatial Planning at TU Dresden University
2007 - 2009	Interim Professor (cum spe) of Regional Planning at BTU Cottbus University
2007	Habilitation (DFG-funded) in 'Spatial Planning' at TU Dresden University; Habilitation thesis on "Planning and Adaptation - Strategy Development in Regions, Organizations and Networks"
2005 - 2017	Scientific Advisor to the Bertelsmann Stiftung in the field of 'Municipalities and Regions in Demographic Change'.
1999 - 2008	Lecturer at the TU Dresden University
1998 - 2007	Project Manager for Regional Development and Strategic Planning at the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), Dresden; 2000 - 2004 Head of the research area 'Strategies of Ecological Restructuring in Cities and Regions’
1998	Doctorate on the topic "From plan to discourse? Requirements profile, range of tasks and organization of regional planning in Germany" at the University of Bonn
1996 - 1998	Lecturer at the University of Bonn
1995 - 1998	Consultant, ECON Consult GmbH & Co KG, Cologne
1995 - 1998	Doctoral Fellow of the German National Academic Foundation
1994 - 1995	Research associate at the Institute for Urban Planning at the University of Bonn
1988 - 1994	Studies of Geography, Political Science and Sociology of Development at the University of Bonn, Germany

Memberships

Member of the Supervisory Board of Allmende Emscher-Lippe eG (since 2023)
Member of the General Assembly of the Leibniz Institute for Spatial Social Research (IRS) (since 2022)
German Representative in the Council of Representatives (CoRep) of the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) (since 2020)
Member of the Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL) (since 2011), ARL University Ambassador at the TU Dortmund University
Tutor of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German Academic Scholarship Foundation) at TU Dortmund University
Association of Geography at German-speaking universities and research institutions (VGDH)
Member of the Shrinking Cities International Research Network (SCiRN), (2008 – 2010 Chair des Managing Boards)
Chair of the COST Action Cities Regrowing Smaller (CIRES) (2008 - 2013)

Publications

2024
Wiechmann, Th.; Buße von Colbe, J.; Jenssen, T.; Klemme, M.; Schulze Dieckhoff, V. (2024): Zur Zukunft der Planung. Vier Szenarien als Ausgangspunkte der strategischen Weiterentwicklung, in: RaumPlanung, Heft 226 / 2-2024, S. 21 - 28

2023
Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) (Hg.) 2023): Regiopolen und Regiopolregionen in Deutschland. Empirische Befunde und raumordnungspolitische Empfehlungen. Bearbeitet durch Andrea Hartz, David Frey, Anna Buchholz, Stefan Greiving, Thorsten Wiechmann und Thomas Terfrüchte. Bonn

2022
Hutter, G.; Wiechmann, Th. (2022): Time, Temporality, and Planning – Comments on the State of Art in Strategic Spatial Planning Research, in: Planning Theory & Practice, Vol. 23, Nr. 1, S. 157 – 164 (open access article)

Gravert, A.; Wiechmann, Th. (2022): Themenkarrieren in der Wissenschaft – Zur Entstehung wissenschaftlicher Diskurse am Beispiel der Themen ‚Schrumpfende Städte‘ und ‚Klimawandel‘, in: Berichte. Geographie und Landeskunde, Themenheft Disziplingeschichte und Wissensproduktionen in der Geographie, Band 95 / 1-2022, S. 73 – 96

2021
Wiechmann, Th. (2021): Planning Theory. In: Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association (ARL) (Ed.): The Compendium of Urban and Regional Development, Hannover, URN: 0156-559916442

Wiechmann, Th. (2021): Strategic Planning. In: Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association (ARL) (Ed.): The Compendium of Urban and Regional Development, Hannover, URN: 0156-559924795

Terfrüchte, Th.; Frank, S.; Wiechmann, Th. (2021): Innerstädtische Disparitäten und Segregation – Messung und Deutung, diskutiert am Beispiel der Stadt Remscheid, in: RaumPlanung, Themenheft ‚Segregation und Disparitäten in Stadt und Region‘, Heft 213 / 5-2021, S. 14 – 21

Terfrüchte, Th.; Greiving, S.; Wiechmann, Th. (2021): Regiopolregionen und gleichwertige Lebensverhältnisse – Regiopolindizes als Evidenzbasis der aktuellen Debatte, in: RaumPlanung, Heft 212 / 3/4-2021, S. 47 - 53

Terfrüchte, Th.; Hardt, D.; Wiechmann, Th. (2021): Was wissen wir über Quartiere? Die Verknüpfung und Verräumlichung kleinräumiger urbaner Daten als Chance, in: RaumPlanung, Themenheft ‚Kommunale Geodaten, Geodatenmanagement, Open Data‘, Heft 211 / 2-2021, S. 52 - 56

2020
Gravert, A.; Günzel, M.; Wiechmann, Th. (2020): Sie können nicht mit- und nicht ohneeinander. Zum komplexen Verhältnis von Planungswissenschaft und Planungspraxis, in: Informationen zur Raumentwicklung, Heft 2/2020, S. 14 – 25 (open access article)

2019
Wiechmann, Th. (Hg.) (2019): ARL Reader Planungstheorie, Band 1: Kommunikative Planung – Neoinstitutionalismus und Governance, Springer Spektrum, Heidelberg

Wiechmann, Th. (Hg.) (2019): ARL Reader Planungstheorie, Band 2: Strategische Planung – Planungskultur, Springer Spektrum, Heidelberg

Gravert, A.; Günzel, M.; Wiechmann, Th. (2019): Wie entstehen Themen in der Planungswissenschaft?, in: Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning, 77 (3), S. 1– 17, published online 6. April 2019 (open access article)

2018
Wolff, M.; Wiechmann, Th. (2018): Urban growth and decline: Europe’s shrinking cities in a comparative perspective 1990-2010, in: European Urban and Regional Studies, Vol 25 (2), S. 122–139 (open access article)

Schmitt, P.; Wiechmann, Th. (2018): Unpacking Spatial Planning as the Governance of Place: Extracting Potentials for future Advancements in Planning Research, in: disP - The Planning Review, Vol. 54, Issue 4, S. 21 – 33 (open access article)

Schulze Dieckhoff, V.; Becker, D.; Wiechmann, Th.; Greiving, S. (2018): Raummuster: Demographischer Wandel und Klimawandel in deutschen Städten, in: Raumforschung und Raumordnung, Heft 3/2018, S. 211-228 (open access article)

2015
Wiechmann, Th.; Bontje, M. (2015): Responding to tough times: policy and planning strategies in shrinking cities, in: European Planning Studies, Vol. 23, Issue 1, S. 1 – 11, , DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2013.820077

2013
Pallagst, K.; Wiechmann, Th.; Martinez, C. (Hg.) (2013): Shrinking Cities: International Perspectives and Policy Implications, Routledge Advances in Geography Vol. 8, New York

2012
Wiechmann, Th.; Pallagst, K. (2012): Urban shrinkage in Germany and the USA – A comparison of transformation patterns and local strategies, in: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Vol. 36, Issue 2, S. 261 – 280 (open access article)

2008
Wiechmann, Th. (2008): Errors expected – Aligning Urban Strategy with Demographic Uncertainty in Shrinking Cities, in: International Planning Studies, Special Issue on Demographic Changes and the New Landscapes for Planning, Vol. 13, Nr. 4, S. 431 – 446, DOI: 10.1080/13563470802519097

Wiechmann, Th. (2008): Planung und Adaption - Strategieentwicklung in Regionen, Organisationen und Netzwerken, Dortmund

Sämtliche Publikationen des Fachgebietes finden Sie hier: Publikationen

Contact

TU Dortmund University
Department of Spatial Planning
Research Group of Spatial Planning and Planning Theory

August-Schmidt-Straße 6
44227 Dortmund
Germany

Campus South
GBI, 3. Upper floor
Room 1.413

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