About us
History of IRPUD
With the establishment of the Department of Spatial Planning in 1968, the decision was made to start a joint Research Group for spatial planning. The vision was that the research group should be able to function as a "modern research unit" (Gründungsvision Institut für Raumplanung; TUDO Archive). The Research Group for Spatial Planning (IRPUD) was supposed to bundle the scientific work of the Department of Spatial Planning in interdisciplinary research projects and create a solid basic research in order to be able to base serious spatial planning decisions on a more secure basis (Wegener 2014).
In 1974 the IRPUD was founded as the joint scientific Research Group of the Department of Spatial Planning of the University of Dortmund and Klaus Kunzmann was appointed Managing Director and Head of IRPUD. He retained this position until 1993 and had a major influence on the Research Group with his high level of commitment and the aim of establishing spatial planning as a science. In the following years, Heinrich Schoof (1994-1997), Paul Velsinger (1998-2000), Michael Wegener (2000-2002), Hans-Peter Tietz (2003-2005), Hans Heinrich Blotevogel (2005-2009), Dietwald Gruehn (2010) and Stefan Greiving (since 2011) followed.
Today, IRPUD's research focuses on spatial risk and climate impacts. Through extensive cooperation with local, regional and international leading institutions from different continents, current problems are addressed and evidence base is created (further information in the profile). In addition to comprehensive research activities (further information in the research part), the IRPUD is also active in teaching, e.g. within the framework of the project studies, through various seminars in all degree programmes of the department and with a Research Colloquium beyond that.
Furthermore, the IRPUD also permanently supports (in cooperation with changing departments) the organisation of the Dortmund Conference for Spatial and Planning Research, which takes place every two years, and maintain the housing policy cooperations of the department. Together with the Department of Urban and Regional Sociology and the NRW. Bank, the IRPUD organises the annual Colloquium on Housing Policy. Two study awards (in cooperation with NRW.BANK and the German Tenants' Association) honour final theses with a connection to housing policy and promote young academics.
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The TU Dortmund campus is located near the Dortmund West interchange, where the A45 Sauerland line crosses the B1/A40 Ruhr expressway. The Dortmund-Eichlinghofen exit on the A45 leads to the South Campus, the Dortmund-Dorstfeld exit on the A40 leads to the North Campus. Coming from the A45, you can turn onto Stockumer Straße via Universitätsstraße. This in turn is connected to Baroper Straße, along which Campus South extends. If you take the exit of the A-40, the route via Emil-Figge Straße, Marie-Curie Allee to Baroper Straße makes sense. If you turn from Baroper Straße into August-Schmidt Straße, you have the possibility to reach the parking lot directly behind the GB III.
The South Campus is connected via Stockumerstraße by bus lines 440 and 449, which run every 10 minutes. Campus South can be reached on foot from the Am Gardenkamp stop, and the Eichlinghofen H-Bahn station is also located near the Eichlinghofen stop. The bus lines connect to the U42 light rail line at the Barop Parkhaus stop, which provides connections to the Dortmund-Hombruch district and Dortmund downtown.
From Dortmund-Eichlinghofen, the South Campus is connected to the H-Bahn network via the Eichlinghofen H-Bahn station. Line 1 runs here every 10 minutes, and the South Campus is served by the Campus Süd stop.
A connection to Campus North is also provided via the H-Bahn. Line 2 shuttles between Campus North and Campus South every 5 minutes.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).
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