Ilka Mecklenbrauck

Ilka Mecklenbrauck serves as Professor for Urban Design and Design at the Faculty of Environment, Design and Therapy of Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU) since 2021, teaching in both the B.Eng. Stadtplanung and M.Eng. Stadt Landschaft Transformation programs. She concurrently holds leadership roles as head of the intern office (Praktikantenamt) and practice coordinator for bachelor and master urban planning degrees.

Education:

• PhD in Spatial Planning from TU Dortmund (2015), magna cum laude, focusing on "Development of University Locations from the 1960s and 1970s"
• Spatial Planning degree from TU Dortmund (2001-2007) with international stays in South Korea, Latvia, and USA

Research Interests: Her work centers on urban planning and urban design, with specialized focus on landscape transformation in urban contexts, sustainable development of built environments, and adaptive reuse of university campus infrastructure from mid-20th century developments. She emphasizes practical application through dialogue with industry.

Scientific Awards:

• DAAD Scholarship recipient (2005)
• Doctoral distinction magna cum laude (2015)

Professional Roles: She served as program director for the Master in Urban Landscape Transformation (2022/23), led city planning projects at Bochum's Office for Urban Planning and Housing (2017-2021), and held acting chair positions at TU Dortmund (2018-2021). Her freelance urban planning practice (2009-2017) demonstrates consistent industry engagement alongside academic work.

Initiatives: Co-founded and hosts the professional podcast "Urban Planning in Dialogue" (Städtebau im Dialog) since 2020 through a GbR partnership with Prof. Dr. Hendrik Jansen, bridging academic theory with real-world planning challenges.