Our course offer
Understanding the functioning of urban ecosystems is of increasing importance for the sustainable development of our society. With our theoretical and practical courses we want to enable students from different disciplines dealing with the urban context to identify interactions between goals of biodiversity protection, climate adaptation, food production and human well-being in cities, to promote potential synergies and thus to design sustainable, multifunctional landscapes. In doing so, we emphasize an integrated view of ecological and social dimensions of urban ecosystems.
Summer Term 2024
| Course | Lecturers | SWH |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Concepts and Methods in Urban Ecosystems (SE) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Prof. Dr. Stephan Pauleit, Dr. Mohammad Rahman | 2 |
| Advanced Concepts and Methods in Urban Ecosystems (UE) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Prof. Dr. Stephan Pauleit, Dr. Mohammad Rahman | 3 |
| CampusAckerdemie - Garden Educator Training (SE) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Theresia Endriß | 5 |
| Exam colloquium (KO) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer | 2 |
| History of Landscape Architecture (UE) | Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Regine Keller, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ferdinand Ludwig, Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Prof.Dr.-Ing. Schöbel-Rutschmann, Lynn Hennies | 1 |
| Project Landscape Planning 3 "Ecological concepts" (PT) | Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Weißer, Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Dr. Brandon Mak, Dr. Joan Casanelles-Abella | 6 |
| Ecology and ecosystem functions of insects in agricultural landscapes | Prof. Dr. Livia Cabernard, Prof. Dr. Sara Leonhardt, Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Astrid Neumann, Susanne Werle | 3 |
| Monitoring and control of insects and their functions | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Prof. Dr. Sara Leonhardt, Susanne Werle | 2 |
Winter Term
| Course | Lecturers | SWH |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Agriculture (VO) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer | 2 |
| Edible Cities (UE) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer | 2 |
| Seminar Applied Ecology and Planning (SE) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Prof. Dr. Johannes Kollmann, Prod. Dr. Jürgen Geist, Prof. Dr. Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Prof. Dr. Annette Menzel, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Pauleit, Prof. Dr. Anja Rammig, Prof. Dr. Rupert Seidl, Prof. Dr. Hanno Schäfer, Prof. Dr. Michael Schloter, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Weißer, Apl. Prof. Dr. Thorsten Grams | 2 |
| Bachelor Project "Urban Oases" (PT) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer, Prof. em. Dr. Michael Suda, Birgit Probst, Stefanie Burger | 6 |
| Exam colloquium (KO) | Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer | 2 |
The Professorship for Urban Productive Ecosystems offers a bachelors thesis to investigate the social and environmental characteristics of Munich neighborhoods that are ideal for the collaborative implementation of interventions for biodiversity. The thesis will use spatial tools (GIS) and field inventories to evaluate the selection of neighborhoods in Munich that will be of focus for biodiversity interventions. The thesis will be done in close collaboration with Green City e.V. in Munich.
Details
The focus of this thesis is centered on the questions: (1) what are social and environmental indicators of city neighborhoods that can guide the implementation of biodiversity initiatives? (2) which neighborhoods can best contribute to and participate in biodiversity interventions in Munich? The thesis project will spatially investigate the socio-demographics and environmental conditions of Munich neighborhoods (Quartier) to select 2 neighborhoods to implement biodiversity (insect) conservation interventions together with neighborhood residents. The main variables of interest are: (i) neighborhood population structure; (ii) the availability of open space, considering the aspect of environmental justice; and (iii) available public institutions with citizen contact (neighborhood management, neighborhood meetings, adult education centers, schools), NGOs and associations. These data will be collected from data bases from the City of Munich and/or from publicly available data sets. City neighborhoods will then we evaluated with field assessments to study ecological conditions of the neighborhoods (e.g., available flower strips, street trees, urban gardens). The final selection will be then discussed with Green City e.V. and various NGO partners in Munich as part of the project “Biodiversität ins Quartier” („Gärtner*innen und Bewohner*innen gemeinsam mit zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisationen, Wissenschaft und weiteren Stadtakteur*innen für mehr biologische Vielfalt in der Stadtnatur“) funded by the Bundesamt für Naturschutz.
Requirements
Previous experience with GIS, biodiversity assessments, community engagement and science communication are highly beneficial. The thesis aims to start in summer (August) 2023. The thesis can be supervised in German or English.
If you are interested or for any questions, please contact:
Professor Monika Egerer (monika.egerer(at)tum.de)
Urban community gardens are proposed biodiversity ‘hotspots’ in the city. Yet urban gardeners need better urban context-specific strategies to support biodiversity. Flowering plant seed mixtures are increasingly popular as a proposed pollinator conservation strategy. However, often seed mixtures are not adapted for urban environmental conditions including increased heat, drought and poor soil conditions. Furthermore, mixtures may be aesthetically pleasing for people, but not necessarily be evidence-based in that they are shown to prioritize and support pollinators. Studies are needed that design and test flowering plant mixtures that are aligned for urban gardens and their insect inhabitants.
The Professorship for Urban Productive Ecosystems offers a master thesis that investigates the following questions: (1) How can flowering plant species mixtures combine pollinator-attraction traits and urban resilience traits? (2) Which of these flowering species mixtures are most attractive to pollinators in situ? This thesis aims to provide a tested flowering plant mixture to be implemented in urban gardens and neighborhoods across the city of Munich as part of the research project Biodiversität ins Quartier („Gärtner*innen und Bewohner*innen gemeinsam mit zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisationen, Wissenschaft und weiteren Stadtakteur*innen für mehr biologische Vielfalt in der Stadtnatur“) funded by the Bundesamt für Naturschutz. This unique project will work from theory to practice.
Details: Developing a seed mixture for urban gardens
The focus of this thesis is to develop and test 3 seed mixtures that consider: (i) increased temperatures, soil and air pollution in cities; (ii) the needs of urban gardeners; and (iii) as well as taking into account the "Flowering Mixture Guide for Projects in the Federal Biodiversity Program" of Germany. The mixes will give preference to native species and exclude organically bred/cultivated species/varieties modified with recent genetic engineering techniques. The herb and flower mixes will be conceptualized from literature on plant traits, tested using field studies on pollinator attraction, and analyzed using statistical methods. The result of the thesis will inform a research-based flower mix to be used by community gardeners and neighborhood residents in Munich.
Requirements
Previous experience with botany and plant ecology are highly beneficial. Good communication skills are especially beneficial. These project will aim to start as soon as possible (summer 2023). The thesis can be supervised in German or English.
If you are interested or for any questions, please contact:
Professor Monika Egerer (monika.egerer(at)tum.de)
Background
Urban green infrastructure can promote both human health and biodiversity conservation. In face of urban densification and climate change, it is critical to maintain and increase quality green space to provide food and shelter for diverse plant and animal species, as well as to safeguard valuable places for relaxation, social encounter and nature experience. The complex relationships between those needs are not well understood in cities. However, this is needed to plan resilient, healthy cities. The concepts of „acoustic comfort“ and „soundscapes“ (the total combined human and natural sound of an environment) can link biological diversity and human well-being to the urban environment under a Planetary Health perspective. Which soundscapes are perceived as comfortable? How might they indicate high habitat quality for different animals and plants? How can such soundscapes be identified through citizen participation and integrated into urban planning processes?
The Professorship for Urban Productive Ecosystems offers two related master theses positions to investigate the potentials of transdisciplinary approaches in urban soundscape research towards the ends of integrated health and biodiversity promotion in densifying cities. Both theses will contribute to developing concepts that can be implemented in the City of Munich as part of the BMBF research project ‚CitySoundscapes‘.
Project 1 – Citizen science and urban soundscapes in Munich
The focus of this thesis is to develop and test a citizen science approach to investigate how city park soundscapes (biophonic, geophonic vs anthrophonic sounds) vary with vegetation complexity, and how this relates to acoustic comfort of park visitors. This thesis will: 1) create and pilot-test a concept for collecting image and audio material with citizen scientists (e.g. via smartphone based on ‚Visitor Employed Photography‘ methods); 2) co-evaluate data collected (online/offline, e.g. via focus groups, Q-sorts) and in Living Labs (with Project 2); and 3) assess citizen science based data with structural complexity data and acoustic comfort data obtained from ecological and psychoacoustic field research in the CitySoundscape project. This thesis aims to provide a tested and validated proof of concept to be implemented across the city of Munich in the next 2 years.
Project 2 – „Sounding board“ Living Labs in Munich
The focus of this thesis is on the development and pilot testing of so called „Living Labs“ in Munich. Living labs are a platform that facilitates cross-sectoral exchanges between stakeholders from conservation, public health and planning with the wider community. In this context, with the aim of integrated biodiversity conservation and health promotion, facilitated through the social-ecological concept of „soundscapes“ as a source and indicator of „healthy places“ for people and nature. This project will be in close collaboration with Project 1. This thesis aims to provide a tested and validated proof of concept to be implemented in three neighborhoods in the city of Munich in the next 2 years.
Requirements
Previous experience with citizen science, community engagement and science communication are highly beneficial but not required. Good communication skills and people management is especially beneficial for Projects 1-2. These projects will aim to start in summer (late July/August) 2023. The thesis can be supervised in German or English.
If you are interested or for any questions, please contact:
Stefanie Burger (stefanie.burger(at)tum.de), Professor Monika Egerer (monika.egerer(at)tum.de)
References
Aspuru, Itziar, García, Igone, Herranz, Karmele and Santander, Alvaro. "CITI-SENSE: methods and tools for empowering citizens to observe acoustic comfort in outdoor public spaces" Noise Mapping, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016. doi.org/10.1515/noise-2016-0003
Moebus, S., Gruehn, D., Poppen, J. et al. Akustische Qualität und Stadtgesundheit – Mehr als nur Lärm und Stille. Bundesgesundheitsbl 63, 997–1003 (2020). doi.org/10.1007/s00103-020-03184-x