Outlook

The sustainability of urban systems depends to a high degree on the shaping of the interfaces between the environmental, economic, ecological and technical dimensions of the inner dynamics of such systems. The research teams working in the Priority Research Area will continue to pursue their particular research interests; in so doing, they will direct attention to the functional interactions between energy supply and energy use, the management of ecological resources, and the mobility of goods and passengers.

The development of urban transport concepts that are viable for the future is becoming enormously important in the EU and other parts of the world. This is a field of endeavour to which CME and ZLV are ideally suited to make a contribution by virtue of their special expertise. Last but certainly not least, the specific impact of global environmental changes (e. g. climate change) on urban systems – and possibilities for adapting urban systems under shifting basic conditions –  are examples of relevant research topics.

New scientific coalitions, e.g. with the renowned Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen, are currently opening up more far-reaching interdisciplinary vistas. Since specific urban life styles are expressions of the ways in which people deal with resources, the social sciences will increasingly play an important role in research on urban systems at the University of Duisburg-Essen.