https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/15 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:34:14 GMT 2026-09-23T04:34:14Z https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1299 Title: Preliminary Decision‐Making Processes in Suburban Residential Developments Authors: Große, Stephan; Krüger, Thomas Abstract: German metropolitan regions experience simultaneous reurbanisation in core cities and intensified suburbanisation in surrounding municipalities. Given limited peripheral administrative resources and complex land availability, a fundamental question arises: Who actually steers urban development in suburban areas? While the Federal Building Code requires formal urban land‑use planning, pivotal preliminary decisions on location, scale, density, and actors occur informally beforehand. This study examines how these early decision‑making processes in suburban residential area development are shaped by informal negotiations among public and private actors. The theoretical framework integrates Kingdon’s multiple streams framework, Sorensen’s critical junctures, Sydow’s path dependency theory, real estate project logic, Flyvbjerg’s concepts of rationality and power, and Heurkens’ typology of private‑led urban development. This study combines 12 overarching expert interviews with seven in-depth case studies in the Hamburg metropolitan region, capturing perspectives from municipal stakeholders, private urban planning consultancies, district administrations, and project developers. Analyzed alongside official planning documents through qualitative content analysis, the findings reveal a distinct preliminary phase dominated by confidential, small-scale negotiations among mayors, landowners, and developers. These processes predefine core project parameters, creating path dependencies that significantly limit subsequent formal planning flexibility and public input, visualised in a multi-level, phase‑based actor model. Ultimately, the findings highlight structural asymmetries that challenge systematic public steering and sustainable development in suburban areas. The study concludes with recommendations for a more proactive municipal land policy, enhanced institutional capacity-building, and supportive regional frameworks to secure long-term environmental and spatial objectives. Fri, 18 Sep 2026 10:44:48 GMT https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1299 2026-09-18T10:44:48Z https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1296 Title: Spanning boundaries of urban nature plans: governance and urban biodiversity in Hamburg and Genova Authors: Mahmoud, Israa; Arlati, Alessandro Abstract: Purpose European cities still face various hindrances and bottlenecks to adopt the latest European Biodiversity strategy, target 14, which requires cities with at least 20k inhabitants to establish an urban nature plan (UNP) by including nature-based solutions (NBS) as urban planning tools to combat climate change issues. In this research paper, the purpose stands for analyzing the urban spatial boundaries by which cities can span or not in order to deisgn and implement their urban nature or green plans in conformity with the European Nature Restoration Regulation. For this, two case studies (Hamburg in Germany and Genova in Italy) were selected as paradigmatic examples in the EU context to implement a mixed methodological approach that analyzes climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in their respective UNPs. Design/methodology/approach By using an analytical framework of 20 criteria, the authors conducted a content analysis of Hamburg’s and Genova’s plans and the included actions through a three-step methodology. Particular attention in this research is given to the aspects of urban governance and commitment to implementation of biodiversity actions and goals, institutional support and policy as well as a focus on public participation. Findings Discussions suggest the two cities attribute nature to specific boundaries that may not coincide with the ones identified in other traditional or legislative plans. Thus, the authors identify the existence of at least two types of boundaries (knowledge and administrative) in consideration with local urban governance aspects, such as stakeholders’ engagement mechanisms and evidence-based results from citizens’ participatory approaches, whereas the boundaries of actionable knowledge span toward the existing administrative and spatial boundaries. Research limitations/implications The research limitations and implications of this study are as follows: prioritizing the development of urban nature plans toward encompassing nature beyond the boundaries of cities by merging different tools and knowledge; development of a methodological framework for assessment of urban biodiversity in cities, giving more weight to collaborative governance and public participation aspects; administrative boundaries of nature reflect the regulative limits of the planning system; involve local governments planners and decision-makers to establish their urban nature plans through crossing the boundaries of their municipalities spatially and administratively as a future research agenda. Originality/value This research proposes a fresh perspective on urban biodiversity planning based on a sound methodology that unites quantitative and qualitative aspects to demonstrate the consistent mismatch in considering permeable boundaries of nature vis-à-vis administrative responsibilities in current planning practices. Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:57:50 GMT https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1296 2026-09-18T09:57:50Z https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1295 Title: Enhancing the Potential of a Tangible-Digital Planning Interface through User Evaluation Authors: Holtorf, Vincent; Moleiro Dale, Maria; Noennig, Jörg Rainer Abstract: Participatory urban planning increasingly relies on digital technologies to democratise geospatial information access, yet traditional GIS-based interfaces often exclude non-expert users. Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) offer a promising alternative by combining intuitive physical interaction with computational analysis. Despite this advancement, the systematic evaluation of how diverse user groups experience such systems remains limited. This study addresses this gap through framework analysis of the feedback from 58 participants across 12 interdisciplinary groups within the academic context who interacted with COUP (Cockpit for Collaborative Urban Planning), a hybrid, tangible-digital interface integrating physical city models with real-time environmental simulations. Users consult and modify district designs while observing impacts on wind comfort, noise propagation, and pedestrian flows through projected visualisations. Mixed-methods analysis identified four consensus strengths: real-time interactivity (91.7%), collaboration support (83.3%), visualisation quality (83.3%), and multi-parameter integration (75.0%). Significant limitations also emerged regarding data accuracy concerns (75.0%), performance issues (66.7%), and technical instability (58.3%), revealing tensions between appreciated potential and practical adoption barriers. Findings provide empirical evidence on how tangible geospatial interfaces translate complex environmental data into actionable planning insights accessible to diverse user groups. The conducted analysis, with a small sample size, is considered a first approach to the enhancement of user evaluation of digital tools for urban planning. The collected recommendations shed light for advancing participatory tools that support evidence-based environmental decision-making, essential for building climate-responsive cities while genuinely empowering user engagement in collaborative urban planning processes. Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:50:34 GMT https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1295 2026-09-18T09:50:34Z https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1293 Title: The Importance of Asset Management of District Heating Pipes for the Implementation of Climate Goals in Europe Authors: Hay, Stefan; Schenkel, Raphael; Engel, Christian; Cadenbach, Anna Marie; Leuteritz, Andreas; Pourbozorgi Langroudi, Pakdad; Kropp, Ingo Abstract: The aim of the asset management of district heating pipes is to create a financial framework for a reliable, affordable and ecological heat supply in a district heating system. Today, estimates based on available statistical data suggest that over 19,000 heating networks with a total pipeline route length of over 199,000 kilometres supply heat to over 80 million inhabitants in the European Union (EU). With the ‘European Green Deal’ and the EU ‘Fit-for-55’ legislative package, the EU has described its climate goals and established the political framework for achieving them through the ‘Renewable Energy Directive’ (RED III), the ‘Energy Performance of Buildings Directive’ (EPBD) and ‘Energy Efficiency Directive’ (EED). Existing district heating systems, their transformation and expansion as well as building new district heating systems are essential for the achievement of the European climate goals. To this end, network operators require reliable asset management tools for implementing the EU climate goals. This paper presents the factors influencing the service life of different pipe systems and approaches for improving asset management simulations based on ongoing national and international research. Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:35:17 GMT https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de:443/handle/hcu/1293 2026-09-18T09:35:17Z