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Worldwide a profound change towards more sustainability is needed in order to overcome global challenges such as the climate crisis. With the innovative concept of mission-oriented research, science, together with a wide range of different stakeholders, is breaking new ground. But this new way of doing research itself has some challenges to overcome and needs certain prerequisites. A position paper of the Leibniz Research Network "Knowledge for Sustainable Development" addresses these challenges. It draws attention to seven key lessons.

Adaptation to summer heat is becoming increasingly crucial in German cities. A new online tool helps users to determine the effectiveness of various adaptation measures outdoors as well as in and around buildings. The "HRC-Hitzetool" (HRC heat tool) was developed as part of the HeatResilientCity (HRC) project - a joint effort of the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development and the Technische Universität Dresden along with research and community partners. The tool is suited to use by municipalities, the housing industry and individual people alike.

Since the beginning of March, citizens of Dresden can actively participate in a citizen science project. The project is about bringing together knowledge about the city's diverse buildings in a digital map and thus making it visible and usable. The information is collected on the online platform "Colouring Dresden", which is operated by the IOER. Various event formats provide insight into the project and invite people to join in the research.

Germany's landscapes are diverse and constantly changing. Growing cities, wind turbines and solar fields, high-voltage lines, new traffic routes, agricultural industry and increasing technology are changing the landscape faster and faster. The exhibition "The Shape of Space - Landscapes of Germany as Images of Society" makes this change visible with diverse aerial photographs. The Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) will present the exhibition from 15 May to 9 June…

The socio-ecological crisis is having an increasingly negative impact on our everyday lives. Nevertheless, so far there is little sign of the urgently needed societal change towards sustainability. Why is that? How can this be changed? And what role does our relationship with nature play in this context? Martina Artmann, head of the Leibniz-Junior Research Group "Urban human-nature resonance for sustainability transformation" at the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), explores these questions in an article. It has been published in the open access journal…

There is a shortage of housing in many cities. New construction and thus redensification on the outskirts of the city could provide a remedy. But the different logics of action of landowners and other actors often stand in the way. In the SUBDENSE project, an interdisciplinary team, including Mathias Jehling from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), is looking at this challenge of sustainable urban development. The project is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and other international research agencies.

The time has come! – On 6 March, the platform "Colouring Dresden" will be launched. It is part of a new citizen science project in which interested citizens of Dresden can actively participate. Thematically, it is about researching Dresden's stock of buildings. The project team will explain how those who are interested can get involved on 6 March, from 4 p.m. in the Central Library in the Kulturpalast Dresden.

Self-protection against floods is becoming increasingly important. This is particularly true for the protection of residential buildings. The information tool FLOOD.Bi can be used to determine and minimise the risk of flood damage to buildings. The Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) developed the tool together with the Saxon State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG) in the EU project STRIMA II. From 2 to 5 March, a team from both institutions presented the online tool at the "HAUS", a construction fair in Dresden.