Prof. Dr.-Ing. Marc Wolfram

I am working on the dynamics of urban and regional change and the strategies and approaches for steering such change towards sustainability. My focus is on innovations in urban and regional governance, policy, planning and design that enable and guide system transitions. This entails a concern for diverse socio-technical and social-ecological systems coalescing in space, and the internal and external factors driving or inhibiting their transformation across spatial scales.

Keywords: Space and place; Sustainability science; Transformation; Resilience; Technology; Governance; Innovation; Learning; Capacity; Design

2019-present

Director of the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), Dresden (Germany)

2019-present

Chair of Spatial Development and Transformation, Dresden University of Technology (Germany)

 

2003

Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning (Degree: Dr.-Ing.), University of Stuttgart (Germany), Department of Urban and Regional Planning (SI) / Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain)

1998

Postgraduate course 'European Urbanism', Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain), Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB)

1997

BA and MA in Architecture and Urban Planning (Degree: Dipl.-Ing.), University of Stuttgart (Germany); Specialisation in urban & regional planning

 

• Member of the Strategy Forum "Research Assessment" of the Leibniz Association
• Member of the German Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research (Gesellschaft für Transdisziplinäre und Partizipative Forschung - GTPF)
• Chair of the Subgroup "Transdisciplinarity" of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) Working Group "Towards transformations: Transdisciplinarity, applied/practice-based research and impacts"
• Member of the Steering Group "Sustainability" of the Leibniz Association
• Elected board member ISDRS - International Sustainable Development Research Society; Topic group VI lead "Urban and rural transitions"
• Co-founder and co-speaker of the Leibniz Research Network "Knowledge for Sustainable Development"
• Speaker of the Leibniz Research Network "Spatial Knowledge for Society and Environment"
• Member of STRN - Sustainability Transitions Research Network; Co-founder thematic group "Urban transitions and transformations"
• Member of ISOCARP - International Society of City and Regional Planners
• Member of SRL - German Association of Urban and Regional Planners
• Member of PRISMA - Centre for Sustainability Assessment and Policy, Technische Universität Dresden

2021-2025

Scientific advisor of TRANS-LEARN project, Formas (Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development)

2021-2024

Scientific advisor of ENVISION project (Accelerating Environmental Assessments towards Sustainable Cities), Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal)

2021-2024

Scientific Advisory Board member for the Urban Mobility Strategy 2035 plus, City of Dresden

2019-present

Strategy advisor of ICLEI Korea, Local Governments for Sustainability

2014-2019

Advisory Board Member of the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO)

2016

Member of ITU/UNECE Advisory Group on Key Performance Indicators for Smart and Sustainable Cities (U4SSC initiative)

2016

Member of ITU/UNECE/HABITAT III Cross-Cutting Expert Group for assessing the role of ICT in the new urban agenda

 

2008-present

Reviewer of research project proposals - European Commission (Directorate General Research & Innovation): Horizon Europe (since 2021); Horizon 2020 (2014-2020); 7th RFP (2007-13)

2009-2013

Reviewer of research project proposals - European Commission (Directorate General Information Society and Media): ICT Policy Support Programme (CIP)

2009-present

Regular peer reviewer for the following scientific journals: Cities; Environmental Impact Assessment Review; Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions; Environmental Policy and Governance; Geoforum; International Journal of Urban Sciences; Journal of Cleaner Production; Journal of Environmental Planning & Management; Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning; Journal of Urban Technology; Landscape and Urban Planning; Technological Forecasting and Social Change

 

2019

Best Paper Award, Annual Conference of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP)

2010

Breuninger Fellowship at International Center for Cultural and Technological Studies, University of Stuttgart

2006

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris

2000

Land Baden-Württemberg selection for dissertation scholarship

1998

DAAD selection for graduate studies scholarship, and 1997 DAAD selection for diploma

 

2019

Wolfram, M., Borgström, S., Farrelly, M., 2019. Urban transformative capacity: From concept to practice. Special Issue guest-editorial of: AMBIO, 48 (5), 437-448, doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01169-y 

2018

Van der Heijden, J. Patterson, J., Juhola, S., Wolfram, M. 2018. Advancing the role of cities in climate governance: promise, limits, politics. Special section of: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2018.1513832.

Wolfram, M., van der Heijden, J. Juhola, S., Patterson, J. 2018. Eds. Learning and meta-learning in urban climate governance: Concepts, key issues and challenges. In: Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 21(1) 1-15, doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2018.1558848.

Wolfram, M. 2018. Assessing transformative capacity for sustainable urban regeneration: A comparative study of three South Korean cities. In: AMBIO doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1111-2.

Wolfram, M. 2018. Learning urban energy governance for system innovation: An assessment of transformative capacity development in three South Korean cities. In: Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 21(1) 30-45, doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2018.1512051.

Wolfram, M. 2018. Cities shaping grassroots niches for sustainability transitions: Conceptual reflections and an exploratory case study. In: Journal of Cleaner Production, 173, 11-23, doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.044.

Wolfram, M. 2018. Urban planning and transition management: Rationalities, instruments and dialectics. In: Frantzeskaki, N., Bach, M., Hölscher, K. Avelino, F. Eds. Co-creating sustainable urban futures. Cham: Springer. 103-125. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69273-9_5.

2017

Wolfram, M. 2017. Grassroots Niches in Urban Contexts: Exploring Governance Innovations for Sustainable Development in Seoul. In: Procedia Engineering, 198, 622-641, doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.07.116.

Wolfram, M., Frantzeskaki, N. and Maschmeyer, S. 2017. Cities, systems and sustainability: Status and perspectives for urban transformation research. In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 22, 18-25. doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.01.014.

Wolfram, M. 2017. Village communities and social innovation policies in Seoul: Exploring the urban dimension of grassroots niches. In: Frantzeskaki, N., Coenen, L., Castan Broto, V., Loorbach, D. Eds. Urban sustainability transitions. ISBN 978-041-57-8418-4. London: Routledge. 101-128.

2016

Wolfram, M., Frantzeskaki, N. 2016. Cities and systemic change for sustainability: Prevailing epistemologies and a future research agenda. In: Sustainability (8) 144, doi.org/10.3390/su8020144.

Wolfram, M. 2016. Conceptualizing urban transformative capacity: A framework for research and policy. In: Cities, 51 (Current Research on Cities), 121-130. doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2015.11.011.

Wolfram, M. 2016. The role of cities in sustainability transitions: New perspectives for research, policy and practice. In: Kim, E. and Kim, H.S. Eds. Quantitative regional economic and environmental analysis for sustainability in Korea. ISBN 978-981-10-0298-4. Singapore: Springer, 3-22.

2015

Schuetze, T., Tieben, H., Chelleri, L., Ostermeyer, Y., Wolfram, M. 2015. Eds. Towards True Smart and Green Cities? Special issue of: Sustainability (8) 144.

2014

Wolfram, M. 2014. Stadt, Wandel, Nachhaltigkeit: Zur Konvergenz von Urbanistik und Transitionsforschung. In: Planung Neu Denken. II, 1-11.

Wolfram, M. 2014. Smart Cities: Leitbild mit Fragezeichen. In: PlanerIn. 3, 5-9.

2010

Wulfhorst, G., Wolfram, M. 2010. Lernen von Frankreich: Die "Plans de Déplacements Urbains" als Beispiel inkrementeller Steuerung. In: Wolfram, M. Ed. Steuerung einer nachhaltigen kommunalen Verkehrsplanung in Deutschland. IÖR-Texte Nr. 162. Dresden: Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, 23-27.

2009

Wolfram, M., Bührmann, S., Rupprecht, S. 2009. Europäische Leitlinien zur nachhaltigen Stadtverkehrsplanung (Sustainable Urban Transport Planning – SUTP). In: Bracher, T. Holzapfel, H. Kiepe, F. Lehmbrock, M. Reutter, U. Eds. Handbuch der kommunalen Verkehrsplanung. Heidelberg: Wichmann, 1-40.

2007

Wolfram, M., Bührmann, S. 2007. Sustainable Urban Transport Planning - SUTP Manual: Guidance for stakeholders. Cologne: Rupprecht Consult—Forschung & Beratung

2005

Wolfram, M., Bührmann, S., Martino, A., Brigati, E. 2005. Sustainable Urban Transport Plans (SUTP) and urban environment: Policies, effects, and simulations. Cologne: Rupprecht Consult—Forschung & Beratung.Wolfram, M. 2004. Final Report of the Expert Working Group on Sustainable Urban Transport Plans. Brussels: European Commission, DG Environment.

2004

Wolfram, M. 2004. La production de catalysateurs métropolitains: L’exemple de la transformation des politiques urbains à Stuttgart. In: Jouve, B., C.Lefèvre, C. Eds. Horizons métropolitains. Collection “Science-Technique-Société”. Lausanne: Presses Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes.

2003

Wolfram, M. 2003. Le “Verband Region Stuttgart” et la nouvelle donne des déplacements urbains. In: Jouve, B. Ed. Les politiques de déplacements urbains - L'innovation en question dans cinq villes européennes. 161-82. collection “Logiques Politiques”. Paris: L'Harmattan.

Wolfram, M. 2003. Planning the integration of the High-Speed Train – a discourse analytical study in four European regions. Dissertation. University of Stuttgart. http://dx.doi.org/10.18419/opus-24.