After successful completion of the course, students are able to

• develop a practice-relevant research question in the field of climate change adaptation in central urban areas
• develop a research design for an experimental field research in public space
• write and present a research proposal
• independently plan and carry out a research trip
• collect material in the field using different methods and media and evaluate it scientifically
• develop, record and edit a radio feature
• communicate research findings in different formats adequately for practitioners

Field Trips in Public Space

Since 2016, the "Field Trips in Public Space" have provided the framework for Master's students from architecture and spatial planning to undertake independent expeditions to a wide variety of European cities. Experimental and art-based methods are used for the mostly 10-day field research in public space. The City of Vienna supports these projects with travel grants.

The students develop a research design on changing focus topics in the field of public space and write a research proposal for the travel grant. They conduct the field research independently, evaluate the material and finally produce a radio feature, an exhibition contribution and a report.

Climate adaptation in central urban areas

In the summer term of 2023, Field Trips in Public Space will be dedicated to climate adaptation in central urban areas. The expeditions will go to cities whose climatic conditions Vienna will have in the future to find out what we can learn from them - both from newer strategic such as design adaptation measures and from historically grown structural or cultural aspects.

The comprehensive field research on site should make it possible to go beyond the widely published "best practice" examples and to get to know planning, measures or phenomena in their political, social and cultural context as well as in their everyday use by diverse local people.

Visiting professor

Our future.lab visiting professor for this year is Dr. habil. Fritz Reusswig from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. As an interdisciplinary sociologist with a background in philosophy, he deals with various facets of urban transformations in the context of climate change. Fritz Reusswig has, among other things, developed climate adaptation concepts for cities such as Potsdam, Bamberg or Augsburg, published on learning from cities whose climate conditions we will have in the future, or dealt with the effects of climate protection measures on different milieus and the resonance of climate policy. In his work, social and ecological issues as well as natural and social science analyses come together productively. We are very pleased that he will be accompanying the Field Trips in summer term 2023!

Phase 1: Preparation (March-April)

• Through inputs from experts and preparatory workshops, the basics of the subject area are communicated and theoretical positions are discussed.
• In teams, cities are selected and independent research questions are developed in exchange with practitioners.
• With further methodological input, a research design is developed and a research proposal is written and presented.

Phase 2: Expedition (May)

• In May 2023, the teams go on an independent expedition to the respective city for 10 to 14 days - observing, talking, recording, drawing, playing, ... and documenting their results.

Phase 3: Evaluation (June)

• After the expedition, the observations, the archive material, the field notes, the interviews, etc. have to be reviewed, reflected upon and methods for their analysis found. The collected information is ordered, systematised and precisely evaluated in relation to the research question.
• Finally, the findings will be processed in a radio feature, an exhibition contribution and a report and presented to the partners of the City of Vienna in the final presentation.
• The radio feature will be broadcast on Radio aPalaver on Radio Orange 94.0.

The course is aimed at Master's students in both the fields of study of architecture and spatial planning.

   Architecture students can have the course credited as a module (10 ECTS) + free electives (2 ECTS). (Crediting as module including supplementary subjects is not possible).

Please note: The course will be taught in German language.

• Research proposal (20%)
• Final report (50%)
• Exhibition contribution (15%)
• Radio feature (15%)

Registration for the course takes place in the form of a letter of motivation: Please summarise your motivation and expectations for participating in the field trips on a maximum of one A4 page. Please include your name, matriculation number and study programme.

Please send your letter of motivation by 20 February to gunnar.grandel@tuwien.ac.at