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Photo: R. Vigh/IÖR-Media

View of an office building that is being demolished.

The construction sector is one of the world's biggest polluters. It is responsible for the enormous consumption of natural resources and the emission of large quantities of greenhouse gases. At the same time, it generates many tonnes of construction waste. If this is to change, more building materials need to be recycled and components reused, among other things. With the “Material Cadastre of Buildings in Germany”, scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) are now providing an important basis for such recycling in the construction sector. For the…

Illustration: N. Bongaerts/IOER Media

Blue background with map structure, a larger circle on the right, smaller circles are connected to it in a radial pattern.

With its fellowship programme, the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) is offering established scientists the opportunity to advance their research ideas and network during a guest stay at the IOER. The current call for application is open until 12 May 2025.

Illustration: A. Paßens/IRS

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Under the heading "Excessive Change?", this year's Spatial Science Colloquium (RWK2025) is dedicated to new departures and old contradictions of socio-ecological transformation. The Leibniz Research Network “Spatial Knowledge for Society and the Environment – Leibniz R”, of which the IOER is a member, is hosting the event in Berlin on 26 and 27 June.

 

Photo: K. Ludewig/IOER Media

Two hands are intertwined with little fingers. The shadows of branches can be seen on the wall in the background.

Under the heading "Justice in an interlinked world: revisiting rural-urban and South-North relationships in sustainability transformations", a Summer School in September 2025 will be dedicated to questions of justice in rural-urban and global South-North relationships towards sustainability. The Summer School is aimed at mid-career scholars. It will take place from 9 to 11 September 2025 at the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden. The application deadline was 30 March.

Photo: K. Uhlich/IÖR-Media

A yellow book with two photos on the cover lies at an angle on a light-coloured surface.

The rapid urbanisation in many countries does not only have consequences for cities. The previously rural regions surrounding growing mega-cities are also undergoing change. The joint project “Urban-Rural Assembly” (URA), in which the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) is involved, has been investigating this transformation of urban-rural regions in China since April 2019. The project team has now published findings from the project and experiences from other regions of the world in a handbook.

Source: IOER

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The team of the IOER would like to thank its cooperation partners, funding bodies and service providers for their support and trusting collaboration.

Photo: Marcus Fehse, aeronauten-berlin

Aerial view, a coal excavator in the foreground, photovoltaic in the background.

The official launch of the European Union-funded project ‘TriLand - Cross-border Transformation Centre | TriLand - Transgraniczne Centrum Transformacji’ took place on 3 December with a kick-off conference in Zgorzelec, Poland. Welcoming speeches from government representatives from Saxony, Lower Silesia and North Bohemia emphasised the importance of the project topic: cross-border cooperation for the sustainable development of the three-country region. The Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) is involved in the project with its Görlitz-based Interdisciplinary…

Photo: H. Hensel/IOER-Media

Five people smile into the camera. The person in the middle holds a certificate in their hand

The Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) has been honoured with the TOTAL E-QUALITY award for the fifth time in a row for its convincing equal opportunities strategy. For this continuity, the institute also received the achievement award for sustainability.

Photo: M. Neubert/IOER-Media

A piece of ground is parched and cracked due to drought.

The EU-funded Climate_CRICES project aims to improve the resilience of regions in Central Europe to the impacts of climate change. The kick-off meeting of the European project partners took place in Venice at the end of September to discuss the joint strategy and the next steps. By providing harmonised climate data and developing adaptation strategies, the project supports authorities and municipalities in effectively implementing climate adaptation measures. Six pilot regions in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia as well as in the tri-border region between Germany, Poland and the Czech…

Photo: H. Hensel/IOER-Media

Two persons sit at a table in a leafy courtyard.

In October, scientist Raghav Anand from India completed his stay at the IOER. He has received one of the prestigious German Chancellor Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. For one year, he was able to advance his research project on climate adaptation in smaller Indian cities. In this context, he was also investigating which aspects of IOER's research work in Dresden and Görlitz can be transferred to Indian cities. An interview from his time at the IOER.

The Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development is jointly funded by the federal government and the federal states.

FS Sachsen

This measure is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.