Tanja Siems

Prof. Tanja Siems serves as head of the Chair of Urban Planning and Institute for Environmental Design (IUG) at the University of Wuppertal since 2009, leading research in sustainable urban transitions through interdisciplinary networks across Germany and internationally including Greece, UK, Belgium, Spain, Austria, and Portugal.

Her educational background includes:

• Diploma in Architecture (Dipl.-Ing.) from University of Hanover (1992-1997)
• Doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) from University of Hanover (2002)

Her research pioneers experimental urban approaches where planning functions as dynamic experimentation within contextual frameworks rather than predetermined outcomes. Core focus areas include:

• Mediating urban development through negotiation and participation in social-political processes
• Holistic urban renewal with innovative integral planning concepts
• Integration of solar energy systems and water-sensitive management in urban contexts
• Temporary urban structures as catalysts for transformation

Her publication analysis (2014-2018) reveals consistent interdisciplinary methodology applied to urgent urban challenges, particularly solar energy implementation case studies and adaptive water resource management frameworks that bridge theoretical research with practical application.

Major research initiatives demonstrate significant grant leadership:

• DBU Area Sufficiency Lab (2018-2020)
• IEA SHC Task 51 Solar Energy in Urban Context (2013-2017) as Subtask D head
• BMBF project 'The City as a Hydrological System in Transition' (2013-2016)

The IUG functions as her primary research hub, facilitating experimental urban research that directly engages built environments through temporary interventions and participatory processes, avoiding purely theoretical approaches while maintaining rigorous academic standards.