Offers
The following topics are currently offered as student theses, but possibly also as part of the "free Master's projects". If you are interested, please contact the supervisors.
Master Thesis - Investigating the roles of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) in Munich’s urban flood mitigation for spatial planning
Overview
As extreme rainfall events become more frequent, managing stormwater and reducing urban flood risks are growing challenges for cities. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) are key elements of urban green infrastructure that can help retain and manage runoff. This Master’s thesis will investigate the potential of SUDS to support flood mitigation in Munich and provide insights for spatial planning and prioritization of interventions.
Objectives and Research Questions
The main aim of this thesis is to assess the role of urban green infrastructure in mitigating stormwater runoff and to develop evidence-based recommendations for spatial planning.
Key research questions include:
- Where in Munich is stormwater runoff highest, and which areas are most prone to flooding (e.g. low-lying basins)?
- How can combining criticality and feasibility assessments help prioritize areas for flood mitigation interventions, such as SUDS?
Methodological Approach
This project will involve spatial analysis and modelling using geospatial data on land use, topography, impervious surfaces, and hydrology to identify runoff hotspots and flood-prone areas. Based on these analyses, the study will propose and prioritize potential sites for SUDS implementation.
Required Skills
- Strong GIS skills (e.g. ArcGIS or QGIS)
- R programming skills are desirable, particularly for spatial analysis and modelling
- Interest in urban green infrastructure, climate adaptation, and spatial planning
This Master’s thesis is part of the DFG Research Training Group on Urban Green Infrastructure and will contribute to our knowledge base on resilient and sustainable urban development. Supervision by Dr. Julia Schiller and Prof. Dr. Stephan Pauleit (Chair of Strategic Landscape Planning and Management, Technical University of Munich).
If you are interested, please send an email to Dr. Julia Schiller (j.schiller[at]tum.de) including a CV, a short motivation letter outlining your relevant skills and interests, and a short writing sample. The thesis should ideally be written in English.
Thesis topics in connection with the project 'JUSTNature'
The following are potential thesis or study project topics in connection with the action research project JUSTNature, where we are working closely with the City of Munich’s planning department. The exact focus and methods can be adapted to each student’s research interests. For topics involving interviews or surveys, German language skills are highly desirable. Other language requirements are specified for each topic.
If you are interested in one of these topics, please email the contact person listed, with a brief statement of your interest and relevant background, a writing sample, and your intended time frame to start and complete your thesis.
1. Care, conflict and justice in urban greening politics
Temporary urban greening experiments: are they capable of delivering genuine social benefits, such as a sense of community, connection with one another and with nature, and even a more democratic and equitable society? Or simply a waste of time and money? For urban greening projects to support a just socio-ecological transformation, planners and practitioners need to recognise their political context, along with corresponding power imbalances and conflicts between needs. In this regard, theories on justice, power and care (for other people and for more-than-human species) offer a framework for empirically analysing a process of planning, designing and caring for two temporary green space interventions in the city of Munich.
Possible methods: Case study analysis, document review, interviews (or survey), field diaries, observation.
This thesis topic should be developed in English. Contact: Eleanor Chapman eleanor.chapman(at)tum.de
2. Civil society engagement in nature-based solutions in Munich: current policies and opportunities for enhanced involvement
Which policies, regulations and guidelines regulate civil society to participate in shaping nature-based solutions at different stages (planning, implementation, and maintenance)? How do these documents enable or constrain involvement in decision-making? And what opportunities are there to increase participation?
Possible methods: desk research, document analysis based on a relevant theoretical framework, interviews or surveys with local stakeholders
This thesis topic should be developed in English. Contact: Elizaveta Fakirova liza.fakirova(at)tum.de
3. Participatory urban greening beyond the usual suspects: arts and culture as tools to foster diverse engagement
What tools and methodologies from the art and cultural industries are currently used to engage different vulnerable actor groups in the planning, design, implementation and stewardship of urban green space? How could Munich's participation arrangements be reformed for better engagement?
Possible methods: Case study analysis, document review, interviews (or survey), analysis of successful case studies.
This thesis topic should be developed in English. Contact: Elizaveta Fakirova liza.fakirova(at)tum.de
4. Greening experiments as catalysts for urban transformation
How can temporary greening interventions be transformed into permanent solutions which benefit different user groups and urban nature? Based on a greening experiment in Munich, what barriers and enablers can be observed? How can reflexive monitoring and evaluation support transformation?
Possible methods: Case study analysis, document review, interviews (or survey), field log, observation.
This thesis topic should be developed in English. Contact: Eleanor Chapman eleanor.chapman(at)tum.de
Theses on the topic of „Urban Trees“ (Bachelor-/Master-Thesis)
In cooperation with the Center for Urban Nature and Climate Adaptation (ZSK), we are constantly offering theses (project, Bachelor, Master theses). Currently, we offer the following topics:
- “Urban Forestry” study in cooperation with the city of Speyer: Growth and ecosystem services of public green spaces in the city of Speyer: current status and possibilities for adaptation to climate change - a simulation study
- “Urban Forestry” study in cooperation with the city of Halle: Development of the tree population of a new urban quarter - optimization of growth and ecosystem services through management measures (tree species selection, pruning, irrigation, unsealing) - a simulation study
- What opportunities do municipal tree registers offer for adapting urban forests to climate change? Cooperation with Datenbankgesellschaft mbH (tree register of > 500 municipalities)
- Can tree cadastre datasets be used to derive allometric relationships? Comparison of allometric relationships based on own measurements and tree cadastre data
Further details and topics can be obtained from the following contacts:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Rötzer
Prof. Dr. Stephan Pauleit
Dr. Astrid Reischl
M.Sc. Nayanesh Pattnaik
M.Sc. Leila Parhizgar
M.Sc. Azharul Islam
Dr. Mohammad Rahman (in cooperation with the University of Melbourne)