Publications

Our nuclear power plants stand like landmarks in Germany's river landscapes: they are architectural witnesses to a bitter social and political debate about energy, economy and faith in technology. As a result of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, Germany decided to phase out nuclear energy in 2011: The Atomgesetz (Atomic Energy Act) provides for all power plants to be dismantled down to greenfield sites. However, only around three percent of the gray energy contained in the gigantic construction masses is actually radioactively contaminated. The book offers a factual approach to the history of nuclear energy, the technologies used and their dismantling, as well as overview graphics with information on all German power reactors. A photo essay by contemporary witness Günter Zint documents the protest culture associated with nuclear power plants. Seven possibilities for the subsequent use of these uncomfortable monuments are also shown – an approach that was not considered possible for a long time.

The spatial sculpture from 1963 by artist Zoltan Kemeny in the glass foyer of the Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt am Main (Opera and Theater Frankfurt am Main) is a defining feature of the building. Visible from afar, the over 100-meter-long work of art contrasts with the architecture of the building in its organic dynamism and accentuated craftsmanship. Based on new research, the book presents the artist, the artwork and the genesis and reception of the work that has grown dear to the people of Frankfurt in text and images. New student designs show different options for how the preservation of the recently listed building can go hand in hand with a conceptual revision of the Städtische Bühnen.

ISBN: 9783422988255

Landscape planning is not a discipline from a bird's-eye view, but an opportunity to actively and self-determinedly develop the living environment with local people within the framework of democratic processes. Based on this conviction, the German and English contributions in this anthology address current challenges in landscape planning, but also in open space and urban planning in the context of the history of the profession and against the backdrop of international developments. In three thematic sections, authors from the fields of Geography, Planning Economics, Urban and Open Space Planning, Architecture and Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning present their views on questions of planning practice, planning theory and teaching in planning degree programs. The occasion for the publication of this anthology is the retirement of Diedrich Bruns in fall 2018 after 21 years as Professor of Landscape Planning and Land Use at the Faculty of Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Planning at the University of Kassel.

ISBN: 978-3-7376-5064-9
Price: €29.00

Urban places for animals – such as zoos – or spaces used by them – such as parks, gardens and streets – are conceived and planned by humans.
But hasn't the city always been a habitat for wild and farm animals? For example, what changes are caused by raccoons, wild boars and foxes migrating into urban areas? Can urban animal-human relationships be planned, and if so, how? The encounters between humans and animals and the occupation of urban space by animals challenge residents and scientists. This volume focuses on the question of how conflicts between human interest groups as well as between humans and various animal species can be resolved.

ISBN: 978-3-496-01573-4
Price: €29.90

In recent years, adapting of the existing has become considerably more important than new construction and the expansion of space. But how can the conversion of buildings and structures, rooms and open spaces, structures and infrastructures be designed to be future-proof?

The book focuses on sustainable planning and design strategies that go beyond adapting existing structures to current requirements and are able to react flexibly to changing conditions in the future. The effects of demographic, economic, societal and social change, ecological challenges from climate protection to resource management and, last but not least, the civic anchoring of concepts and projects are particularly important here.

Topics include: On Dealing with Gründerzeit Industrial Buildings - Existing Typologies - Energy-Efficient Refurbishment by Replacing Existing Buildings - Conversion in the Neighborhood - Converting Existing Buildings with Economical Means - When New Neighborhoods Are Getting on in Years - Community Living for Rent - Urban Redevelopment through Conceptual Urban Design - Traffic Planning after Postmodernism - Gardens in Transition - On the Sustainable Conversion of Landscape.

Berlin: Reimer Verlag, 2012.
ISBN: 978-3-496-01447-8
Price: € 39.90
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If 'development' is understood as a change in relatively stable conditions and 'transformation' as a reaction to a seriously changing context, then a transformation process is currently taking place in German and European urban regions. This affects the structures in politics and planning. Against the backdrop of economic, social and political reactions to the latest surge in globalization with its much-discussed apparent and invisible effects on the European urban system, contributions from various countries are brought together. The key terms are metropolization, location competition and profiling. The authors examine the causes, phenomena and consequences of transformation processes in the European context. The question for cities is: win, lose or transform?

The authors: Uwe Altrock (Kassel) - Jürgen Aring (Kassel) - Matthias Bernt (Erkner near Berlin / Leipzig) - Grischa Bertram (Kassel) - Lorenz Blume (Kassel) - Klaus Brake (Berlin) - Andreas Faludi (Delft) - Friedhelm Fischer (Kassel) - Ulf Hahne (Kassel) - Peter Hall (London) - Andrea Hartz (Saarbrücken) - Kerstin Höger (Zurich) - Olaf Kühne (Saarbrücken) - Piotr Lorens (Gdansk) -Antje Matern (Hamburg) - Rolf Prigge (Bremen) - Iris Reuther (Kassel) - Detlef Sack (Bielefeld) - Suntje Schmidt (Erkner near Berlin) - Manuela Wolke (Erkner near Berlin) - Adri Vandenbrink (Wageningen/Utrecht)

ISBN: 978-3-496-01436-2
Price: € 39.90
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ISBN-10: 3737606943
ISBN-13: 978-3737606943
Price: 24,- Euro
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Demographic change is proving to be a central challenge for local housing markets, which – beyond supposed megatrends – results in particular from its diverse, small-scale differentiated development processes, generates increased pressure to adapt within complex market dynamics and at the same time encounters diminishing municipal scope for action in many places.
This study of strategies and instruments of local housing and urban development policy focuses on the region of Northern Hesse beyond the city of Kassel – and thus on a rural area "between the extremes", which is characterized neither by noticeable growth nor (so far) by drastic shrinking processes. It is clear that the problems of extreme development dynamics do not occur here on a smaller scale, but that specific, sometimes difficult to understand market conditions, problem interdependencies and requirements for action must be dealt with.
Against this backdrop, small-scale, financially viable action strategies adapted to the local situation and, in particular, suitable sponsors are needed. Spatial and content-related priorities are also required – and consequently adequate strategies for dealing with the resulting conflicts of objectives, interests
and resources.

Price: € 39.00 (book format) € 20.00 (PDF format)
kassel university press, ISBN: 978-3-86219-836-8, 2014, 368 pages
urn:nbn:de:0002-38376 or

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With its recognition as a World Heritage Site, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe (Wilhelmshöhe Mountain Park) in the west of the City of Kassel has increasingly come to the attention of a broad, international public. However, in addition to the large historical parks, the open spaces that the inhabitants use on a daily basis are also of great importance. In a seminar at the Faculty of Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Planning at the University of Kassel, students looked at various districts, neighborhoods and their histories. In addition to the architecture and the appearance of urban design, the focus was primarily on the various types of open spaces that characterize the neighborhoods: be it public squares, green spaces and playgrounds or private open spaces, intercultural gardens and community green spaces. The seminar resulted in this guide to Kassel's various open spaces – by students for students, but also for locals, newcomers and guests to the city.

ISBN: 978-3-86219-698-2
Price: €14.00
Ref.: Kassel, Univ., Diss. 2014
Available from kassel university press GmbH, Diagonale 10, 34127 Kassel,
info[at]upress.uni-kassel[dot]de

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Tourism is already considered one of the world's most important economic sectors with further growth potential. However, competition between destinations is fierce. The regional tourism industries must actively respond to the constantly changing challenges posed by changing travel trends as well as social and political influences. This requires suitable foundations and strategies. This publication builds on the analysis of the fundamentals of tourism in Northern Hesse (Volume 1) to develop approaches and strategies for the sustainable orientation of tourism in the region. The focus is on the opportunities for further profiling that arise for the destination GrimmHeimat NordHessen against the background of the current framework conditions and trends described, including the requirements of climate change. A central aspect of this is climate adaptation measures suitable for the low mountain region.

Price: € 24.00
kassel university press, ISBN: 978-3-86219-630-2, 2013, 199 pages
urn:rbn:de:002-36319
Available from kassel university press GmbH, Diagonale 10, 34127 Kassel,
info[at]upress.uni-kassel[dot]de

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Tourism is already considered one of the world's most important economic sectors with further growth potential. However, competition between destinations is fierce. The regional tourism industries must actively respond to the constantly changing challenges posed by changing travel trends as well as social and political influences. This requires suitable foundations and strategies. This publication presents the fundamentals of tourism as well as the main areas of tourism in Northern Hesse and analyzes the types of landscape in Northern Hesse and their significance for tourism. The focus here is on the effects of climatic changes on the landscape and the current tourism structure. A subsequent publication will deal with long-term strategies and short-term response options.

ISBN-10: 3862191044
ISBN-13: 978-3862191048
Price: €24.00

Regions as a level of action and control have been the focus of various planning and political science discussions for several years. As social and economic developments are not oriented towards municipal boundaries, regional solutions are required. This paper deals with a new approach to regional control – regional governance – through cooperation between different levels of control. City-regional associations are considered an efficient solution for controlling the development of settlement areas in the control dilemma between competition and cooperation.
The study is based on the example of the city association of Saarbrücken and the administrative union of Kassel area. Both associations have existed since the early 1970s and are comparable in terms of their city-regional structures and association tasks. The analysis yields important conclusions for the design of city-regional associations and the solution to the governance dilemma.

ISBN: 978-3-89958-868-2, 2010, 157 pages
Price: €19.00 (book format), €12.20 (PDF format)
urn:nbn:de:0002-8691
Accessed: Kassel, Univ, Diss. 2010
Available from kassel university press GmbH, Diagonale 10, 34127 Kassel, info[at]upress.uni-kassel[dot]de

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This volume paves the way for nature conservation as political action. "Sustainability" is the term used to address nature as a program of action in the political sphere. As the contributions in this volume show, the scientific investigation of this topic reveals a paradox: on the one hand, sustainability is referred to, on the other hand, it is distanced from as an empty phrase and buzzword. "Sustainability" is not a stringent substantive program, but a strategic metaphor that can ultimately be used to subsume all activities that are directed against the overexploitation of nature. This volume therefore deals on the one hand with the political functioning of such an empty formula. On the other hand, it presents promising theoretical concepts and practical projects of sustainable action from various scientific disciplines.

ISBN: 978-3-89117-173-8
Price: €16.80
Available from kassel university press GmbH, Diagonale 10, 34127 Kassel,
info[at]upress.uni-kassel[dot]de

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The report provides an insight into various types and dimensions of urban gardens outside the established open space repertoire that have developed in different countries and cultures in recent years. Particularly in the European and North American context, the diverse welfare effects of such open spaces are attracting increasing attention and have led to various approaches to public support. However, a look behind the scenes of some success stories makes it clear that the realization of this potential is largely left to chance if such gardens are seen as a romantic but unplannable niche phenomenon. An in-depth professional debate and political recognition of the special values of such gardens seem necessary in order to make them part of everyday urban culture.

ISBN: 978-3-89117-174-5,
Price: €15.00
Available from kassel university press GmbH, Diagonale 10, 34127 Kassel,
info[at]upress.uni-kassel[dot]de

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