Urban Futures (MA)

Urban Futures (MA) is not a degree programme where the classical qualifications for urban and regional planning are taught. The focus is on inter- and transdisciplinary project work, but not on urban planning or urban design as is usually the case in planning degree programmes. We deal with the diverse questions of sustainable urban development in an interdisciplinary way. The article "Learning Transformation" describes the intentions, methods and teaching formats of the degree programme in more detail.

The composition of the Master's programme is interdisciplinary: About half of the 20 places in each year are allocated to students with a background in planning and design, natural sciences and technology, and the other half to students with a background in cultural and social sciences. In concrete terms, these are mainly geographers, urban and regional planners, architects, cultural and social scientists, political scientists, designers, media and communication scientists, psychologists, economists, but also cultural work, social work, information and library sciences, art history, choreography are represented disciplines – if there is a strong interest in the city and interdisciplinary work.

In the Master's programme, a distinction is made between compulsory and elective subjects. The programme is designed so that the compulsory courses take place from Tuesday to Thursday. On Mondays and Fridays, as well as in the peripheral periods, there is the possibility to take elective subjects, to prepare for and follow up on courses, for self-study and for part-time work.

Further information on the study structure, the study and examination regulations and the module regulations

The Master's degree programme offers plenty of scope for deepening individual study interests within the framework of the electives. In addition to the electives at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (practically from all degree programmes), you can also attend courses at other universities and receive credit. Furthermore, MOOCs or "special forms" (such as summer schools, etc.) are possible course variants.

Since the introduction of the Master's programme in the winter semester of 2016, we have seen a steady increase in demand. In the last two years, we have had between 90 and almost 120 applicants for every 20 places. Since the selection for the admission procedure is based on the bachelor's grade and the application letter, no clear NC can be determined for admission. If you are interested, we recommend that you apply regardless of your grade point average.

Get all important information on the application procedure.

Individual part-time study is also possible. Please see our further information and requirements.

The aim of the research internship in the third semester (module 9 with a scope of 20 ECTS credit points or 600 working hours) is to gain practical experience with organisational structures and operational processes in the internship institution and to work on complex research questions in the context of urban transformation processes. With a qualified secondary activity, the intended qualification goals can also be achieved during the course of study; crediting of secondary activities for the research internship is therefore possible upon application. In order to avoid a time overload, other study achievements may then have to be completed in deviation from the planned regular course of studies.

The good life in the city

Normative visions in urban planning and transformation processes and their realisation in practical project work

In view of the current global crises − climate change, social inequality, scarcity of resources and geopolitical uncertainties − the idea of the ‘good life’ as a leitmotif for dealing with urban futures may seem naive or even presumptuous. However, especially in times of polycrisis, it is essential to develop positive and optimistic visions of the future. Designing a liveable, just and sustainable urban life for as many residents as possible is not an abstract utopia, but an urgent necessity.

Urban and regional planning is based on normative models that reflect ideas of socio-spatial design and liveable cities. Nevertheless, textbooks and planning guidelines often fail to explicitly deal with socio-theoretical concepts of vibrant social spaces. Methodological approaches to the development of such visions are also rarely taught, although urban planning concepts are inevitably permeated by implicit guiding principles. Exemplary paradigms such as the ‘smart city’, the ‘post-growth city’ or the ‘city of short distances’ impressively illustrate this connection.

The socio-philosophical and methodological void of vision development in modern urban planning can be attributed, among other things, to the professionalisation and disciplinary structure of urban planning since the 19th century as well as to the negative experiences with ideologically shaped urban planning in the dictatorships of the 20th century. At the same time, specialised laws and municipal constitutions provide for citizen participation as an integral part of planning procedures. This creates a paradoxical situation: on the one hand, participation is emphasised, but on the other hand, it remains unclear which normative guiding principles can actually be developed and pursued.

Dealing with visions as elements of urban planning and transformation processes and their implementation in practical project work is the topic of the 11th year of the Urban Future degree programme.

The programme focuses on the following topics:

• Theories of the ‘good life’ and urban quality of life: How has the concept of the ‘good life’ been conceived historically, philosophically and in terms of urban planning? What significance does it have for urban development today?
• Guiding principles: What normative guiding principles underlie current urban planning projects?
• Resilient and equitable cities: What strategies make it possible to make cities more resilient and equitable? How can social and ecological sustainability be combined?
• Liveable urban spaces: Which spatial and social structures promote well-being and social cohesion in cities?
• Post-growth and new economic forms: Which economic models and local initiatives can enable a fairer city?
• Participation and urban democracy: Who shapes the future of the city? What role do citizen participation, a focus on the common good and new forms of urban governance play? Which power structures and actor constellations influence municipal planning processes?
• Vision building: What methods exist for developing visions and how can they be integrated into planning processes? How can we develop our own methodological approaches to visioning in order to shape urban transformation processes in a targeted and participatory manner?

The year topic 2025/26 combines theoretical approaches with practical analyses and case studies. Students develop their own perspectives on urban issues of the future and create visions for a ‘good life’ in the city − not as a naïve utopia, but as a concrete response to the challenges of our time.

Literature

• Brokow-Loga, Anton, und Frank Eckardt, Hrsg. Postwachstumsstadt: Konturen einer solidarischen Stadtpolitik. Weimar: Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, 2020.
• Bruyn, Gerd de. Die Diktatur der Philanthropen: Entwicklung der Stadtplanung aus dem utopischen Denken. Bauwelt-Fundamente 110. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2014.
• Cobe. Nordhavn, 2008. Abruf am 01.03.2025.
• Klühspies, Johannes (2015). „Smart City“ Songdo – Ein taugliches Vorbild?. Standort 39, 132 – 138.
• Montgomery, Charles (2015). Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design. New York: John Farrar, Roger W. Straus
• Netsch, Stefan. Stadtplanung: Handbuch und Entwurfshilfe. Berlin: DOM publishers, 2021.
• Sim, David (2019). Soft City. Building Density for Everyday Life. Washington, DC: Island Press.
• Steinfath, H. (2011). Theorien des guten Lebens in der neueren (vorwiegend) analytischen Philosophie. Wünsche, Freuden und objektive Güter. In: Thomä, D., Henning, C., Mitscherlich-Schönherr, O. (eds) Glück. J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart. 

Work(ing) for the City of the Future

The world is undergoing significant transformation processes that will also have an impact on the working world of the future. Technological developments (e.g. the importance of digital data, artificial intelligence) and ecological challenges (e.g. climate adaptation) are changing job profiles, sometimes dramatically, to the point where old professions are disappearing and new ones are emerging. At the same time, demographic developments (e.g. ageing society, migration) are changing power relations on the labour markets and changing values (e.g. less acceptance of hierarchies, decreasing importance of work in life) are changing demands on the quality of working life.

In abstract terms, these changes are well known and have been described many times, but in detail there are uncertainties to deal with and there is often a lack of locally specific knowledge about how which trend will have a concrete impact in which region, for which professional group and for which organisation. This ‘translation’ of global trends into local, preferably concrete orientation knowledge is an essential skill that the Master's programme in Urban Futures aims to impart.

As an example, we will look at the situation of municipal employers (e.g. city administrations, companies providing public services) as part of the 2024/25 cohort topic. Cities are just as affected by the changes in working life as private companies, but face particular challenges in reacting flexibly to changing conditions in the world of work due to their highly legally regulated and hierarchical structures and organisational cultures.

At the same time, the pressure of the problem is great, because in a few years a large proportion of municipal specialists will retire or retire due to age. At the same time, expectations of local authorities' problem-solving skills and management qualities are rising, despite shrinking financial budgets and an increasing alienation between citizens and local politics, which is not only reflected in ever lower voter turnout. Cities must therefore develop creative solutions now if they want to guarantee their public functions in the future. In this context, questions such as the following are the focus of the projects in the upcoming year of the Master's programme Urban Future:

• Quantitative forecast: What skilled labour requirements are actually likely to arise in individual municipal occupations in the Berlin-Brandenburg region by 2030, taking into account known data on fluctuation, retirement and the development of the regional labour market
• Qualitative forecast: In view of the aforementioned social transformation processes, in which professions are particularly significant changes in the skills required or the design of jobs to be expected? Which new job profiles will become relevant for cities, will professions become obsolete? What impact will these developments have on training, study programmes and further education and training?
• Comparative analysis: How are municipalities in other regions of the world reacting to demographic change and increasingly complex tasks?
• Creative idea development: What specific measures can cities use to respond to the challenges identified?

The Master's degree programme Urban Future will work closely with the state capital of Potsdam on this topic, which is currently developing a sustainable skilled labour strategy in a cooperation project with the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences.

Literature

• Denkfabrik Digitale Arbeitsgesellschaft im Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziale (Hrsg.)(2021). Arbeitsgesellschaft 2040. Werkheft 05.
• Knappertsbusch, Inka; Wisskirchen, Gerlind (Hrsg.)(2023). Die Zukunft der Arbeit. New Work mit Flexibilität und Rechtssicherheit gestalten. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien.
• OECD (Hrsg.)(2021). Public Employment and Management 2021. The Future of the Public Service.
• Peters, Robert; Burmeister, Klaus; Apt, Wenke (2023). Arbeiten mit Künstlicher Intelligenz –fünf Kurzszenarien zur „Mensch-Technik-Interaktion 2030“. Denkfabrik Digitale Arbeitsgesellschaft/Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales.
• Rat der Arbeitswelt (Hrsg.)(2023). Transformation in bewegten Zeiten – Nachhaltige Arbeit als wichtigste Ressource. Arbeitsweltbericht 2023. Arbeitsweltbericht 2023.
• Rat der Arbeitswelt (Hrsg.)(2021). Vielfältige Ressourcen stärken – Zukunft gestalten. Impulse für eine nachhaltige Arbeitswelt zwischen Pandemie und Wandel. Arbeitsweltbericht 2021.

Comparative Urban Research

Cities have always been exposed to similar challenges such as growth and shrinkage or disruptive events such as wars, fires or epidemics. In their development, cities have learnt from each other and copied spatial, economic, political, aesthetic and infrastructural strategies in the implementation of sewage systems, energy supply or new transport or healthcare systems. While Camillo Sitte recommended ‘urban planning according to artistic principles’ (1889)^[1] at the end of the 19th century, which he had researched in the medieval cities of Italy, Saskia Sassen observed the emergence of the ‘global city’ (1991)^[2] at the end of the 20th century, which is characterised by the concentration of financial and service companies as an important hub in a networked global economy. In contrast, Jennifer Robinson argued in favour of recognising the ‘ordinary city’ (2006)^[3], which should be regarded as equally important regardless of its position in the global economy and its diverse experiences should be integrated into urban research. Rem Koolhaas, for example, saw Nigeria's capital Lagos as a pioneering example of self-organisation processes for modern urban developments at the beginning of the 21st century (2005)^[4].

Today, cities are confronted with tight housing markets, the development of a climate-neutral energy supply, adaptation to climate change and digitalisation processes. They are developing similar transformation strategies for climate protection, climate adaptation and resilience^[5].

While cities face similar challenges, they are also extremely different themselves. For a long time, urban sociological research focussed on the processes and structures in cities. In recent years, the diversity or inherent logic of cities ^[6] itself has increasingly become the subject of research, as well as the study of comparative urban research as a methodological approach^[7]. What are the current topics of urban research? Which methods of (comparative) urban research can be used to gain insights into the pressing issues of our time?

The focus of this year is on the study of methodologies and results of (comparative) urban research^[8][9]. Here we deal with typical approaches from qualitative and quantitative social research, with studies of geographical and socio-economic location conditions or historical development paths. We also deal with planning theory and ethnographic approaches, current urban visions and models, explorative methods of futurology, urban cartographic comparisons and diverse methods of urban and data visualisation. Building on a systematic review in the first semester, the acquired knowledge will be exploratively deepened in the second semester in the context of city excursions in order to achieve a greater empirical breadth.

Sources

^[1] Sitte, Camillo (1889): Der Städtebau nach seinen künstlerischen Grundsätzen. Wien
^[2] Sassen, Saskia (1991): The global city: New York, Tokyo and London. Princeton University Press.
^[3] Robinson, Jennifer (2006): Ordinary cities: Between modernity and development. Routledge.
^[4]Submarine Media (Hrsg.) (2005): Lagos Wide and Close: An Interactive Journey into an Exploding City – Interview Rem Koolhaas
^[5] Libbe, Jens et al. (2018): Stand der Transformationsforschung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der kommunalen Ebene. Paper in Rahmen des Forschungsprogramms „Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau“ (ExWoSt)
^[6] Berking, Helmuth / Löw, Martina (Hrsg.) (2008): Die Eigenlogik der Städte. Neue Wege für die Stadtforschung. - Frankfurt / Main: Campus
^[7] siehe u.a. ILS (2018): International vergleichende Stadtforschung. Eine Handreichung für die wissenschaftliche Praxis im ILS. Dortmund: ILS – Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung.
^[8] Jessen, Johann / Siedentop, Stefan (2018): Stadtforschung. ARL – Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (Hrsg.): Handwörterbuch der Stadt‐ und Raumentwicklung, S. 2465 bis 2476
^[9] Mieg, Harald A. / Heyl, Christoph (Hrsg.) (2013): Stadt. Ein interdisziplinäres Handbuch. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler Verlag

Smart City Potsdam

Smart cities are usually used to describe cities that enable intelligent networking of different areas of life and infrastructure sectors through the ubiquitous use of information and communication technologies (ICT), thereby achieving a higher quality of life and an increase in energy and resource efficiency. [i]
Innovations in technical infrastructures have always had a major impact on urban development processes and urban lifestyles. For example, developments in urban water management, energy supply or communication systems since the mid-19th century have led to new patterns of work, mobility, consumption and resource regimes. The new information and communication technologies are the basis of many current technical, cultural and social developments, such as smart homes, new work, platform economies or Industry 4.0.

In July 2021, the state capital of Potsdam was selected by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Construction and Home Affairs in the funding programme „Modellprojekte Smart Cities“ ("Model Projects Smart Cities") [ii] with the application „Smart City Potsdam – Innovativ. Grün. Gerecht. Zusammen schaffen wir eine nachhaltige Stadt für morgen!“ ("Smart City Potsdam - Innovativ. Green. Just. Together we create a sustainable city for tomorrow!") [iii] was selected for funding together with 27 other cities.
The state capital intends to use the funding to,

• exploit the opportunities of digitalisation for the provision of public services,
• counteract climate change and
• expand the opportunities for Potsdam residents to participate. [iv]

In this cohort, we are using the example of Smart City Potsdam to examine how municipalities can use digitalisation for sustainable, integrated and public welfare-oriented urban development, what opportunities and potential are associated with it, but also what challenges the digital transformation poses for municipalities.

What characterises a smart city and what effects can be expected from the use of innovative technologies on urban lifestyles, planning processes, urban development and urban form and the participation strategies underlying these activities? Based on extensive research on smart city strategies in various cities, small working groups will examine the actor networks, strategies and planned implementation measures in Potsdam in dialogue with the actors and develop visionary, practicable and strategic approaches to solutions in a project.
will be developed.

Sources:
[i] BBSR, BMI (2021): Smart City Charta. Digitale Transformation in den Kommunen nachhaltig gestalten. (22.02.2022).
[ii] BMWSB: Smart City Dialog, (o.D.), www.smart-city-dialog.de/ (22.02.2022).
[iii] LH Potsdam: Potsdam wird Smart City-Modellkommune, (o.D.), www.potsdam.de/potsdam-wird-smart-city-modellkommune (22.02.2022).
[iv] Vgl.: LH Potsdam: Potsdam wird Smart City Modellkommune. (o.D.).

• Urbane Zukunft Jahrgangsthema 2022/2023 (PDF, 102.73 KB)

Doing well by doing good: Entrepreneurial strategies for a sustainable society

In the next generation, humanity must move from an economic model in which natural resources are consumed to one in which economic activity is integrated into natural material cycles. In the long term, prosperity must not come at the expense of the regenerative capacity of natural resources.

At the same time, large parts of humanity still live in inadequate conditions (despite all the progress made in the fight against poverty). Around 700 million people alone have no access to electric light; worldwide, the median income is barely more than 200 euros per month per person. Against this background, it is important that all people and countries have the right to (economic) development, similar to what the West enjoyed in the first wave of industrialisation. We are therefore faced with the challenge of improving global economic conditions quickly and massively, while at the same time reducing resource consumption just as quickly and massively.

What is the role of private companies in this? On the one hand, private enterprise has historically proven to be an effective and fast social mechanism to generate as much wealth as quickly as possible. On the other hand, private companies (especially in the discourse of Western societies) often have to accept the reproach that their pursuit of profit comes at the expense of ecological responsibility. The realisation that companies must actively face up to the challenges of climate change is also increasingly gaining acceptance among corporate leaders, such as Larry Fink: The CEO of the asset manager Blackrock, and thus responsible for over 8.6 trillion dollars of investors' money, is calling for "responsible and transparent capitalism" (Letter to CEOs 2020).

A whole series of renowned non-fiction authors have dealt with the constructive role of companies in the climate crisis - with encouraging results, e.g. Bill Gates, Andrew McAfee or Steven Pinker. Much hope is placed on start-ups, as shown for example by Google's recently launched start-up accelerator programme for "Climate Change".

In this context, questions such as the following are the focus of the projects in the upcoming master's programme Urban Future: What responsibility do companies bear for the necessary ecological turnaround? Can the tension between the pursuit of profit and the common good be resolved? Or is it still true in the 21st century: "The business of business is doing business" (Milton Friedman), so that ecological issues are the sole responsibility of the state.

From a business perspective: What are the strategic consequences of the discourse and global political action on sustainability for business activities? What risks arise from future environmental regulation (e.g. bans on technologies such as combustion engines), taxation (e.g. CO₂ taxation), liability rules (e.g. supply chain law) or public discourse (e.g. loss of reputation in social media)? Conversely, what opportunities arise from new markets (e.g. through state-generated demand or changing consumer awareness)?

Finally, on a very practical level: Can we develop our own ideas for the promising foundation of our own companies, which with their business model contribute to solving the global social and ecological problems of the 21st century, but also generate a good income?

The master's programme urban futures will work closely with the FHP Entrepreneurship School & Gründungsservice on this year's topic, a project of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam to train entrepreneurial skills and support start-ups from within the university.

• Urbane Zukunft Jahrgangsthema 2021/2022 (PDF, 87.73 KB)

Living Labs for the 2,000-watt society

„Wir sind dran. Was wir ändern müssen, wenn wir bleiben wollen“("Our turn. What we need to change if we want to stay"). The title of the latest book by Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker and Anders Wijkman once again highlights current perspectives and requirements for action for a sustainable society. [1] In 30 years' time, all energy generation in Germany should be almost CO₂-neutral in order to contribute to meeting the global challenges of climate change and resource conservation. The transition to a CO₂-neutral society requires not only technological innovations and a huge transformation of urban (infrastructure) systems, but above all sustainable lifestyles. This touches on all questions of living and working, mobility and consumption behaviour, nutrition and food production. In Switzerland, the concept of the 2,000-watt society was developed more than 20 years ago.

A maximum average energy output of max. 2,000 watts per inhabitant is defined as the target for a sustainable society. Many Swiss municipalities have now made this concept the guiding principle of their urban development. [2] Since the food sector alone, through the production, processing and distribution of food, consumes about 800 watts, more than a third of the targeted energy budget, it is clear how ambitious the formulated guiding principle is. In addition to the 2,000-watt society, we will also deal with other models of sustainable development such as „Der globale Green New Deal“ ("The Global Green New Deal") [3] or "Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI)" [4] as well as with methods for environmental assessment. Building on these foundations, we develop concepts for living labs (real labs) in the context of current neighbourhood developments and investigate which strategies, measures and transformation processes are required to achieve these goals. An excursion to Switzerland is planned for the beginning of the second semester in April 2021 to visit model projects.

[1] Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Anders Wijkman (2017): Wir sind dran. Club of Rome: Der große Bericht. Was wir ändern müssen, wenn wir bleiben wollen. Eine neue Aufklärung für eine volle Welt.
[2] 2000-Watt-Areal, www.2000watt.swiss
[3] Jeremy Rifkin (2019): Der globale Green New Deal. Warum die fossil befeuerte Zivilisation um 2028 kollabiert – und ein kühner ökonomischer Plan das Leben auf der Erde retten kann.
[4] Gunter Pauli (2009/12): The Blue Economy. www.zeri.org

• Urbane Zukunft Jahrgangsthema 2020/2021 (PDF, 87.73 KB)

Resilience and transformation of urban systems

Whether it is global warming, demographic change, digitalisation processes, the future of work or the further development of technical infrastructure systems - when it comes to adapting to change and shaping transformation processes towards a sustainable society, a concept for explaining the development dynamics of complex systems has gained in importance: Resilience. Resilience refers to the ability of a complex system to return to its initial state or to establish a new system state that even exhibits improved system behaviour compared to the initial state, despite strong external disturbances. Understood in this way, resilience includes a system's inherent ability to learn and develop. In recent years, resilience has become a key concept in the discourse on sustainable urban development. While resilience is sometimes referred to as the "new sustainability", there is also criticism of the concept's theoretical vagueness and lack of practical relevance.

Using concrete examples of urban and neighbourhood development, we examine what the concept of resilience can achieve in theory and practice. How must smart and liveable neighbourhoods in the 21st century be structured in order to meet the requirements for a regenerative energy supply, sustainable mobility, local climate adaptation, social cohesion and other pressing issues? What role will digital platforms play in the planning and management of neighbourhoods in the future? Can participatory planning processes, the sharing economy, new forms of communal living or community gardens make a significant contribution to neighbourhood development? And how must transformation processes be designed to achieve these goals? The focus of our research is Berlin, which with the planned Urban Tech Republic at today's Tegel Airport, the New Garden Field and many other neighbourhood developments is already a real laboratory of urban innovations and an arena of social debate. At the beginning of the second semester (April 2020), an excursion to the Netherlands is planned to inform us about international positions on the topic of sustainable neighbourhood development and resilience.

• Urbane Zukunft Jahrgangsthema 2019/2020 (PDF, 171.82 KB)

The vision of "Smart Cities" is linked to hopes of finding better solutions to the pressing problems facing cities through the use of new digital technologies. These include the urgently needed reduction of resource consumption and adaptation to climate change, smarter forms of mobility, but also issues of social division and demographic change. While the discourse surrounding Smart Cities and sustainability is a global one, and cities worldwide face fundamentally similar challenges, cultural and historical factors as well as differing institutional conditions influence the respective regional perspectives on urban futures. Using European and East Asian cities as examples (e.g., in the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, or Japan), the projects in the coming academic year will focus on questions such as the following:

• What are the commonalities and differences in perceived urban future challenges and visions? How do usage patterns and evaluations of smart city concepts differ across various regions of the world?
• How do differing attitudes, for example, regarding privacy and data security, influence the design of digital services and digital governance? 
• What is the general openness to new technologies, sustainability paradigms, consumerism, participation, etc.? Given the differing local needs, values, and moral systems in various societies, how can productive and respectful global discourses on the future and development strategies be developed?
• What significance do path dependencies (e.g., the organically grown European city vs. centrally planned new smart cities in East Asia) have for shaping sustainable cities?

The core of the thematic exploration will be an exchange with faculty and students from the National Taipei University of Technology (Taipei Tech) in Taiwan, which cooperates with FHP. A roughly two-week excursion is planned for May or June 2019, including a visit to the Pearl River Delta (Hong Kong, Guangzhou), a workshop week at Taipei Tech together with students there, and likely a visit to a globally operating mobility company. Applicants for the Master's program should therefore have sufficient English language skills and be willing to contribute to the costs of participating in the excursion. FHP Potsdam will endeavor to finance the majority of the costs through acquired third-party funding, but a personal contribution should be expected.

http://www.fh-potsdam.de/forschen/urbane-zukunft/masterstudiengang/

City.Country.Digital

The vision of "smart cities" is associated with hopes of finding better solutions to the pressing problems of cities through the use of digital technologies. These include the urgently needed reduction of resource consumption and adaptation to climate change, smarter forms of mobility, but also issues of social division, demographic change and political participation. However, "smart city" means very different things to many actors. Some envision technologically advanced metropolises where global technology companies provide the critical digital infrastructure. Others rather see the potential to enable marginalised social groups and regions to work on a smart and socially inclusive "city from below" through cheap, easy-to-learn open source technologies that can be used by individual actors. The projects in the coming year of the Master's degree programme move within the field of tension of these different smart city visions, with the aim of developing critical and constructive perspectives on the role of digital technologies. Particular attention will be paid to the disparity between urban and rural areas that is currently often discussed in public. This can be clearly felt in Potsdam: half an hour's drive in one direction is the globally important metropolis of Berlin, half an hour in the other direction are small towns and villages.

We want to answer questions like the following in the Master's projects under the title "Stadt. Land. Digital": How different are the future opportunities and challenges in metropolises and rural areas? Are the supposed opposites irreconcilable? What do desirable and feasible concepts for "smart cities" look like beyond the lighthouse metropolises that receive worldwide attention? Can digitalisation also become a lever for self-empowerment and levelling social differences? How can we use digital technologies to develop better urban planning tools that are adapted to different circumstances and take into account participation needs (e.g. simulation tools, data visualisation, interactive maps, augmented reality)?

Smart cities and communities in the 21st century

The digitalisation of society is leading to sustainable changes in cities and municipalities. These changes are driven, among other things, by the requirements of sustainable use of natural resources (energy and material flows, use of space), by new technological possibilities and new business models (e.g. car sharing services, autonomous driving), by social and demographic processes (growth/shrinkage, individualisation, diversity) and new simulation, analysis and representation methods (big data, system models, information visualisation). These changes are part of fundamental societal transformation processes and equally affect citizens, businesses and municipal administrations and other actors in their everyday practice. They have an impact on urban infrastructures, on forms of communication and mobility, on forms of work and living. Students and lecturers together examine what "Smart Cities and Communities in the 21st Century" look like and what perspectives and possibilities of influence the various urban actors have on these processes of change.

What role do municipal actors such as city administrations or municipal utilities play, how do they have to change and how can they influence or steer transformation processes? What opportunities and risks arise for metropolitan regions and rural areas as a result of these transformation processes? What research methods or digital planning and simulation options are available to anticipate possible future developments and make better decisions today for tomorrow?

Urban Futures is not a Master's programme where the classical qualifications for urban and regional planning are taught. The focus is on inter- and transdisciplinary project work, but not on urban planning or urban design as is usually the case in planning degree programmes. We deal with the diverse questions of sustainable urban development in an interdisciplinary way. Here you can find an article that describes the intentions, methods and teaching formats of the study programme in more detail.

The composition of the Master's programme is interdisciplinary: About half of the 20 places in each year are allocated to students with a background in planning and design, natural sciences and technology, and the other half to students with a background in cultural and social sciences. In concrete terms, these are mainly geographers, urban and regional planners, architects, cultural and social scientists, political scientists, designers, media and communication scientists, psychologists, economists, but also cultural work, social work, information and library sciences, art history, choreography are represented disciplines – if there is a strong interest in the city and interdisciplinary work.

In the Master's programme, a distinction is made between compulsory and elective subjects. The programme is designed in such a way that the compulsory courses take place from Tuesday to Thursday. On Mondays and Fridays, as well as in the peripheral periods, there is the possibility to take elective subjects, to prepare for and follow up on courses, for self-study as well as for part-time work. Further information on the study structure, the study and examination regulations and the module regulations can be found here.

The Master's degree programme offers plenty of scope for deepening individual study interests within the framework of the electives. In addition to the electives at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (practically from all degree programmes), you can also attend courses at other universities and receive credit. Furthermore, MOOCs or "special forms" (such as summer schools, etc.) are possible course variants.

Apart from a completed Bachelor's degree with 180 ECTS credits (or more), there are no further formal admission restrictions for the degree programme. The admission restriction automatically results from the fact that more applicants apply for the Master's degree than there are places available (20).
Further information on the admission requirements

The Master's programme is only offered in the winter semester. The application period is 2023 until the 15^th of June.
Further information on the application

Since the introduction of the Master's programme in the winter semester of 2016, we have seen a steady increase in demand. In the last two years, we have had between 90 and almost 120 applicants for every 20 places. Since the selection for the admission procedure is based on the Bachelor's grade and the application letter, no clear NC can be determined for admission. We recommend that you apply regardless of your grade point average. Further information on the application procedure can be found here.

The project outline should be formulated with regard to the year's topic. We want to know from you what you are interested in and what could be a particularly interesting topic for you. This can (but does not have to) refer to your own preliminary work or to already existing studies.

You can find the year's theme at the bottom of the page here.

Individual part-time study is also possible. Further information and requirements can be found here.

The aim of the research internship in the third semester (module 9 with a scope of 20 ECTS credit points or 600 working hours) is to gain practical experience with organisational structures and operational processes in the internship institution and to work on complex research questions in the context of urban transformation processes. With a qualified secondary activity, the intended qualification goals can also be achieved during the course of study; crediting of secondary activities for the research internship is therefore possible upon application. In order to avoid a time overload, other study achievements may then have to be completed in deviation from the planned regular course of studies.

Applications for the winter semester are accepted online at from the 15^th of May to the 15^th of June via the MyCampus university portal of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

Documents to be submitted

When applying online, the following documents must be submitted as PDF files in the application portal:

• University degree certificate(s) including diploma supplement or current overview of achievements with the ECTS credit points and grade earned to date, if the degree programme has not yet been completed.
• Letter of motivation (max. two pages): The letter of motivation should provide information about the motivation and identification with the chosen degree programme and the intended profession. In particular, the motivation to study should be explained in a differentiated manner and placed in the context of the applicant's previous career and professional prospects.
• Project outline – description of a possible research project – for the master's degree programme, maximum two pages in length.
  - State of the art in research or technology on the topic, with a reference to relevant literature
  - Description of the research objective
  - Content-related proximity to the current year's topic is desired
• Tabular curriculum vitae

Checklist

After completing your online application in the MyCampus university portal, you will receive a personal checklist with the following information:

• List of all supporting documents that you have uploaded as PDF files according to the information you provided in your online application
• Notes on the further course of the procedure

Selection procedure

Applicants who fulfil the admission requirements take part in the procedure for awarding places.

In the allocation procedure, the following are deducted in advance from the number of study places to be allocated:

• All applicants who were unable to accept an earlier admission due to service and all applicants who belong to the national squad of a national sports federation of the German Olympic Sports Confederation
• 11 % for applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification
• 3 % for applicants who are to be considered on the basis of hardship.

The remaining study places are allocated 90 % according to the result of a university selection procedure and 10 % according to waiting time.

The result of the university selection procedure is determined on the basis of the following criteria (weighting in brackets):

• Grade of the professionally qualifying university degree (40 %).
• Project outline for the Master's programme (30 %)
• Letter of motivation (30 %)

Admission

Following the university selection procedure, admissions procedure is carried out. Applicants with a correspondingly high ranking receive a time-limited offer of admission in the MyCampus university portal, which they must actively accept. After accepting the offer of admission, you will find your notification of admission in the MyCampus university portal. If you do not accept the offer of admission by the deadline, the ranking list will continue to be processed and the place will be reallocated.

You have accepted the offer of admission and received your letter of admission? Then you have the opportunity to submit an enrolment application for the upcoming winter semester in the MyCampus university portal of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

Following online enrolment, upload all required documents as PDF files via the upload portal. Enrolment is only valid once all documents have been uploaded in full and on time.

Documents to be submitted

• University entrance qualification
• If applicable, further documents according to the enrolment application form.

Do you have any questions about the enrolment process at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam? Our enrolment page offers you further information and a FAQ section on all aspects of admission and enrolment.