In-LUST - Institute for sustainable urban development
INSTITUTE
In-LUST (Institute for sustainable urban Development) is an interdisciplinary institute at Hochschule Düsseldorf - University of Applied Sciences, with a team of professors and staff from the fields of architecture and urban design, energy and environment, social affairs and culture as well as economy and consumption. It engages in liveable and eco-friendly urban development and builds on the LUST research project (Liveable and Eco-friendly Towns and Cities, 2013-2016). The Institute is being funded over a period of five years by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia in the framework of the “FH Kompetenz” programme, an initiative that supports the creation and further development of research structures at universities of applied sciences.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of In-LUST is the development of liveable and eco-friendly towns and cities. The Institute is primarily characterised by its transdisciplinary approach, which it employs to initiate sustainable transformation processes and innovations in urban districts. Cornerstones in this context are: Research by experts from different disciplines, participation of all active stakeholders from the general public, politics, associations, clubs, companies, skilled trades, social partners, local initiatives, etc. and transfer of the results into practice. In order to dovetail research, teaching and practice, In-LUST brings on board students and doctoral researchers and publishes the scientific findings and results of its work.
INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK
In-LUST deals on a scientific and theoretical level with terms such as ‘sustainable’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘liveable’ and their interdisciplinary connections. The Institute develops courses of action for the targeted development of our towns and cities and tests them in situ in urban districts by way of example.
Work on publicly funded projects, often with a strong focus on transfer, plays a major role, such as in the development and implementation of district concepts. In the process, collaboration among the different disciplines in interdisciplinary teams means that a broad repertoire of methods and expertise can be put to use in a sophisticated way across the entire board. Moreover, direct cooperation with local partners from everyday practice facilitates a transdisciplinary approach.
Alongside research and transfer, interdisciplinary teaching is the Institute’s third task. Various teaching formats are used, ranging from a homogeneous group of students led by an interdisciplinary team of university teaching staff to interdisciplinary groups of students who work on a project together. This method of working sharpens the holistic perspective of all stakeholders involved - from student to research assistant to professor.
More information can be found on the german websites of the institute.
