In the degree programme Geovisualisation, it is often about the urban development of Würzburg: students develop ideas on perspectives of urban construction. The measured geodata is used by the city for urban planning decisions. Climate adaptations and climate friendliness play an important role in this.
Published on 27 July 2023
With a soft babbling, the Pleichach makes its way through the meadow. Blossoming shrubs and trees line the riverbanks. Cyclists use the adjacent bike lane to go to the city centre. Here, surrounded by nature, you can forget about the traffic of Nürnberger Straße and on the B19-bridge, and enjoy your lunch break.
Clara Eggers' vision depicts this image. She is a graduate of the degree programme Geovisualisation. Her vision emerged in the module "Project-Related Geovisualisation" in her fourth semester. Where the Pleichach still runs in a narrow channel next to streets and parking lots, Eggers sees the opportunity to create "a place for recreation".
With skills to the first individual project
Stefan Sauer, architect and lecturer of geovisualisation, teaches the module, that is about "getting students their first own project". The seminar is conducted in exchange with representatives of the city of Würzburg and revolves around the topic of urban development. The students are supposed to draw up sustainable perspectives for Würzburg's urban construction. In completing this assignment, students are confronted with different tasks ranging from idea creation and conceptualisation to presenting their results. By the fourth semester, students had worked with a number of tools, Sauer says. These include geoinformation systems, that are used to collect, process, analyse and visualise geodata, 3D modelling, photography, and many more. Thus, they are perfectly equipped for their first project, during which they can use all these tools.
The seminar also offered the chance to put more provocative topics up for discussion, the lecturer says. The current semester focused on perspectives for repurposing the Talavera. To some of Würzburg's citizens, the Talavera is deemed untouchable due to the free parking or as location for the traditional fairs. "Seeing things in a completely different light" – according to Sauer, that would also be part of the seminar. The city was really interested in getting to know young people's perspective of these issues.
Würzburg has to adjust to climate change consequences
The re-naturalisation of the Pleichach, that was already completed in parts, is a real project of the city of Würzburg. Not only is this project about creating a new space for recreation, it is also about climate adaptation. The ecological upgrading of streams increased their balancing effect on the local climate, and promoted the fresh air supply, as a brochure of the city says. More intensive heatwaves and dry phases will impact Lower Franconia more significantly than other German regions. The city climate effect also adds to this as it is particularly pronounced in Würzburg – the dense building in the city centre leads to more intense heating-up than in the surrounding areas.
"Evaporation areas are proven to have a positive effect on the urban climate", Sauer explains. To create evaporation areas, not only streams like the Pleichach, but also green areas play an important role. When water does not immediately flow off, it can seep into the soil. During evaporation, energy is extracted from the environment. This decreases the temperature. That is why in urban areas with dense building, especially greening facades and roofs is a promising measure, according to the city's brochure.
Time and time again, the students themselves would choose measures for a climate adapted and climate friendly city as topics for their research projects, even though the topics were completely open, Sauer emphasises. In addition to the re-naturalisation of the Pleichach, an entirely greened central station or a bike highway were topics of previous research projects.
Geodata forms the basis
Regarding the current assignment concerning the Talavera, he considered redensification almost a must regarding parking, the architect thinks. Redensification refers to efforts to use urban space more effectively by creating additional structures underground and above. If the parking at Talavera was underground, the space above could be used for social housing and green spaces, Sauer explains. "The Talavera does not have to be an asphalt jungle but could instead become an exemplary project of environmentally friendly and social urban remodelling." Topographic data like the distance to the Main or to ground water levels confirms that underground parking would be feasible. For students as well, the first step of a project is evaluating geodata. Ideas emerging from this analysis would make for a robust basis and also valid justification, the lecturer says.
Measuring the biking quality
Evaluating geodata and providing the city with material for justified decisions of urban planning, that is also dear to Professor Dr. Jan Wilkening, director of the degree programme Geovisualisation. His current research focus is bicycle traffic – a current topic for the city of Würzburg, that strives to become climate-neutral by 2040. Promoting bicycle traffic is considered an important factor in reaching this goal. Deciding to become more bicycle friendly by changing roads was the city's responsibility, Wilkening explains. "We want to measure the biking quality." Because you had to first measure as objectively as possible what locations posed problems to see how these problems could be solved.
For this, highly different data sets are connected. On his screen, the professor shows a map of Würzburg that was complemented by a data set of accidents that involved cyclists. Like on a weather map, the colour immediately shows the risky spots – a traffic hub like the Berliner Ring, where a particularly high number of accidents happen, sticks out by the yellow colour.
Collecting geodata oneself
While a lot of the data is provided by authorities or can be accessed online – some data must be collected by the students themselves. "In the course of his bachelor's thesis, one student has built a sensor and will use it to drive through Frankfurter Straße in Zellerau to measure overtaking distances of cars." The aim would then be to "get the data on the map" to see which parts would be problematic. This work was also supported by the city, Wilkening says. The city had great interest in finding out where narrow roads led to overtaking with too narrow a distance, or to scrutinise where measures, that had already been taken, could be readjusted.
Whether the projects have an immediate impact on the city of Würzburg's decisions, or whether it is about developing visions and discussing provocative, new approaches to urban planning – what is clear to Stefan Sauer is: "Students' ideas and projects are not for scrapping, they have an impact. The feeling persists that we can shape the future."
