Urban Systems

Within the scope of the Infrastructure key area of research, work concerns a diverse range of perspectives connected to the issues of mobility and sustainable infrastructure in urban spaces. In addition, research is currently being conducted to address issues related to key infrastructural systems such as energy supply, transport, water supply and wastewater disposal, modern information technologies and their integration in urban spaces (i. e. integrated energy and information supply infrastructures). This research is already being implemented with a high degree of public visibility in joint research and implementation projects in various municipalities in Germany and abroad. The expressed intent of these measures is to use resources respectfully and sparingly and to contribute to the sustainable use of energy supplies with scientific solutions (i. e. technical and mathematical optimisation of power and gas supply grids). A further aim of these measures is to preserve extant structures and to restore and renovate them in accord with modern standards. In order to live up to these fundamental principles, university researchers from the faculties of Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Economics and Social Sciences must work together with engineers to develop workable concepts, technical methods and structures that meet the manifold quality requirements of urban infrastructure. The current interdisciplinary "Megacities" project for energy-efficient urban and transport development in Shanghai is one such example: the "Shanghai Joint Project: Integrative Approaches to sustainable and energy-efficient urban development, urban planning, mobility, building and living" is funded by the BMBF and conducted and coordinated by the Institute for City Planning and Urban Design (ISS) at the University of Duisburg-Essen in cooperation with several national and international research partners.
The centrality of urban infrastructures in the Main Research Area creates an important link between ecological and healthcare demands (Environment and Health) and the field of logistics. As a discipline, logistics focuses on operations and the efficient planning and management of municipal infrastructures, examines the operational processes and functions involved, and provides the "software" (logistics) for the "hardware" (infrastructure).