This is the archive of the website of the Chair of Urban Development at the Technical University of Munich where Alain Thierstein served as Full Professor from 2005 to 2024. During this period, the chair’s research and teaching focused on urban and regional spatial development. Cities and regions were not understood as static, physical entities, but as relational spaces shaped by dynamic networks of flows—of firms, knowledge, and people. Core guiding principles included impact orientation, inter-scalarity, systems thinking, and a relational understanding of space. These concepts informed both teaching and research across a range of topics: from hub airports, high-speed rail stations as key nodes within knowledge economy networks, to star architecture and its role in repositioning cities, as well as numerous case study cities examined in studios and research projects. This work has engaged with architects, urbanists, geographers, economists, landscape architects, mobility experts, sociologists, and computer scientists, reflecting a strongly multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach.
Alain Thierstein remains active in debates on urban development and can be followed on LinkedIn under Alain Thierstein | LinkedIn.
This was the website of the Chair of Spatial Development. The new website of the Chair of Urban and Spatial Development is currently under construction and will be available shortly.
Neue Dissertation: The Dynamic Geographies of the Knowledge Economy in Germany: Where do firms & workers locate?
This dissertation examines the German knowledge economy over two decades and explores where firms and knowledge workers locate. It examines the spatial, relational and economic location decisions through three studies on firm location choices, the influence of the knowledge economy on employment growth and the (re-)location of workers. Using ERGM, Granger causality and origin-destination data analysis, it reveals how proximity, the type of knowledge, infrastructure and connectivity influence where firms and workers locate, thus, regional growth.
Project Documentation: "Landsberg am Lech - Ready for 2055?"
NEWS| 31.03.2025
Project Documentation: "Landsberg am Lech - Ready for 2055?"
Students from the Master's programs in Urbanism and Architecture worked for several months to look at the long-term development of the town of Landsberg. The aim was to design a long-term spatial strategy. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the region and a methodology for working with future trends, the next 30 years were examined. Four student teams each present a vision of the future for “Landsberg 2055” and use an overall strategy and specific spatial proposals to show possible development paths for the region and local stakeholders.
The four student teams focus on different topics and show different development paths for the year 2055. How can resilient land use, inclusive mobility and social cohesion be strengthened and interlinked to achieve sustainable growth? How can the prospects of young residents be improved and education and innovation become key catalysts for positive development? How can Landsberg become a municipality that leads by example through the consistent implementation of sustainable mobility, a liveable city center and a self-sufficient energy supply? And how can Landsberg carry today's qualities into the future in order to be “just as great, only better” in 2055?
Link to the digital documentation (PDF, ca. 70 MB) available on mediaTUM.
2011-2014 Poly 5 - Polycentric Planning Models for Local Development in Territories interested by Corridor 5 and its TEN-T ramifications
Forschung, W00CDU-cat-voelkel-geo |
Topic: The project aims to identify the potentials of alpine areas and to forecast their development possibilities as a result of the construction of new large transport infrastructures - in this case high-speed rail transport. In order for the areas along the high-speed railroad to benefit from the higher accessibility, the project develops tools that support public actors in their opinion making. The tools will be tested and then prepared in such a way that they can also be used in other EU countries. As the construction of the route from Lyon to Ljubljana has been delayed for years, the results are highly relevant for the cities and municipalities, regions, states and the EU concerned.
Brief description: The Alpine Space Projekt deals with the effects of large transport infrastructures on Alpine regions using the example of the railway - Corridor 5 from Lyon to Ljubljana, which is currently under construction in sections. Alpine regions can benefit from large transport infrastructures - in this case high-speed railways - but can also be disadvantaged. To enable local and regional actors to make informed decisions on how their territorial units can benefit from high-speed transport, the project develops tools to support public actors in their opinion making. The tools will be developed for each of the project phases, the design, construction and implementation in the local and regional transport system. In the next step the tools will be tested and further developed according to the test results. Finally, transferability to other EU countries will be tested and the project results will be prepared in such a way that they can be applied at all administrative levels.
Staff involved: Alain Thierstein, Michael Droß, Kristina Erhard
Client: EU, Alpine Space Programme cooperation partners: Province of Turin, Landscape, Transport and Civil Protection Area; University of