Since 2009, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Silke Weidner has headed the Institute of Urban Planning and the Department of Urban Management at the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg’s Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning. Through her teaching, research and knowledge transfer into practice, she has focused on integrated urban development, including urban-rural relationships, inner-city transformation, structural change and participatory planning processes. Alongside her academic work, she has co-led the planning consultancy |u|m|s| Urban Strategies in Leipzig since 2005.
Her academic path began at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, where she studied under Prof. Albert Speer from 1990 to 1996. She later completed her PhD at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Leipzig under Prof. Johannes Ringel and held a junior professorship in Urban Management there.
Prof. Dr. Silke Weidner is a member of numerous advisory boards, committees and professional associations, including the Saxony Chamber of Architects, the Association for Urban, Regional and State Planning (SRL), the Society for Real Estate Research (gif) and the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP).
Interview
How would you describe your vision for the “Spaces of Mobility” for the Munich Metropolitan Region in 2034 in three words?
Sustainable and connected. Reliable and attractive.
What do you see as the biggest mobility challenge facing the Munich Metropolitan Region?
Developing and connecting the metropolitan region through attractive mobility hubs and interchanges that can also act as anchor points for broader development. Ensuring affordability and quality while managing increasing demand.
What motivated you to get involved in the IBA-M?
Mobility is one of the defining challenges of the future and a crucial factor in the relationship between urban and rural areas.
What unique perspective or expertise do you bring to the IBA-M?
Integrated urban development planning including participatory and co-creative processes, together with a strong small-town perspective.
For me, the IBA is…
…a think tank, experimental platform and real-world laboratory – a space with the courage and vision to identify, develop and bring innovative approaches to international attention.