Bio

Dr Peter Gotsch is an urban researcher, planning expert and registered architect, based in Trondheim (Norway) and Kassel (Germany). He is interested in the effects of world-wide processes of urbanisation on the space and society nexus, putting a specific emphasis on the social and environmental dimensions of urban change. Within this field he aims to elaborate the respective implications for the practices of planning and design, urban policy, research, and education. Methodologically this leads him to the exploration of integrated problem-oriented strategies, mediating between various urban knowledge cultures, from theory to empirical investigation, engineering and design. The impact of new stakeholders in the 'production' of contemporary space is a subject central to Dr Gotsch's scientific interest. In light of this, his research portfolio includes a project on community driven responses to violence in sub-Saharan Africa (www.u-care.de), strategies for the sustainable growth of the future megacity Hyderabad (SHAKTI), and a study of a new typology of privately planned cities (www.neo-town.org). Dr Gotsch is co-editor of the TRIALOG journal (www.trialog-journal.de), and part of the board of two urban research networks: the Network-Association of European Researchers on Urbanization in the South (www.n-aerus.net), and TRIALOG – the Association for Scientific Research of Planning and Building in the Developing World. He has published his work widely and organised various events and he has been invited to be an expert and key-note speaker at numerous international workshops.