Matthias Bernt

Matthias Bernt is Deputy Director and head of the research focus 'Politics and Planning' at the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS), and an adjunct lecturer at the Institute for Social Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin. He has held academic and research positions since the early 2000s and has led numerous national and international research projects on urban development, housing, and governance.

• Studied political science at Freie Universität Berlin
• Doctorate (2001) on Berlin’s urban renewal policy
• Habilitation (2021) on gentrification and public policies
• Research associate at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (2001–2008)
• Research associate at IRS since 2008
• Held teaching positions since 1998
• Visiting positions at Columbia University, UCL, European University of St. Petersburg

Matthias Bernt's research centers on urban governance, particularly in the context of post-socialist transformation. His work critically examines gentrification, housing financialization, shrinking cities, and migration in urban planning. He has a strong focus on East German large housing estates, exploring their transformation under marketization, state restructuring, and immigration. His concept of the 'commodification gap' offers an institutionalist critique of traditional gentrification theories. His recent work highlights segregation dynamics, the role of institutional investors, and the governance challenges in peripheral urban areas.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a consistent focus on urban inequality, governance, and post-socialist urban development. Key themes include gentrification in Berlin, London, and St. Petersburg; financialization of housing; migration and integration in shrinking cities; and comparative analyses of large housing estates. His work increasingly engages with policy implications, as seen in studies on rent control, housing socialization, and urban regeneration.

• Feodor Lynen Stipendium für erfahrene WissenschaftlerInnen
• Book Review Editor, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (2014–2021)
• Board Member, Research Committee 21 (Urban and Regional Development), International Sociological Association
• Deputy Speaker, Urban and Regional Sociology Section, German Sociological Association
• Member, Berlin Tenants’ Association, Fachbeirat Wohnraumversorgung Berlin, and other policy-relevant bodies

Matthias Bernt has advised or collaborated on multiple research projects, including StadtumMig, HoPoFin, and Estates After Transition. He has not received major external grants listed in the text, but leads significant publicly funded research. He is actively involved in academic discourse through editorial roles and professional associations. His work bridges academic research and urban policy, particularly in Berlin and East Germany.

He is involved in several research teams and projects at IRS, including lead and bridge projects on 'Conflicts in Planning' and 'Disruption and Spatial Development.' He coordinates interdisciplinary teams focusing on governance, migration, and housing. His work is highly collaborative, involving researchers from Germany, the UK, Poland, Russia, and beyond.