With Foresight to the City of the Future: Connected, Inclusive, Sustainable and Climate-Adapted

• Total workload (in hours)
  • Synchronous online activities: 2
  • On-site (physical mobility) activities: 25
  • Independent and group work: 23
• Dates of:
  • Online pre-briefing: 4 March 2027
  • On-site component: 8–12 March 2027, Ingolstadt, Germany
  • Online post-briefing: 19 March 2027

On successful completion of the course participants may receive 2 ECTS credits and a certificate of attendance.

Lead and Host Institution

• Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (Germany)
  • Stefanie Wrobel

Partner Institutions

• Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (Austria)
  • Andrea Stitzel
  • Georg Riesenhuber
• Medical University of Gdańsk (Poland)
  • Anna Hering
• Santarém Polytechnic University (Portugal)
  • Tatiana Ferreira
  • Irene Ciccarino

External stakeholders

• Municipality of Ingolstadt, Germany / IFG Ingolstadt

We all think about the future. Every day, we make decisions that relate to the future. But we don’t do it deliberately or in a structured way. This is why we are sometimes surprised by what happens; sometimes our plans are disrupted. We know about climate change and technological developments; we talk about New Work, but what does that mean for us? For our environment? The world we live in? Can we shape the future? What can we do to create a liveable world and a city where we all like to live, work and relax, and where we can stay happy and healthy? What does this city look like? This is what this course is about. Join an international team and develop your future skills, as well as pictures and a concept and roadmap for a liveable city of the future.

• Online sessions: This pre-briefing includes a preliminary round of introductions. You will be introduced to the topic and be provided with an agenda.
• On-site sessions: During the week of 8–12 March 2027, students will engage in several different formats to explore the topic. Touring and scouting will provide a good overview of Ingolstadt at the beginning of your learning journey. Next, you will meet your challenge giver, a representative of IFG, a company affiliated with the City of Ingolstadt that focuses among other things on infrastructure and innovation. Collaborative workshops will allow you to be creative, and practical sessions will help you record your ideas in booklet form.
• Follow-up / reflection: Online reflection activities are scheduled for 19 March 2027.

Specific learning objectives include:

Students will …

• improve their sketching abilities through dedicated exercises.
• apply the scenario technique to develop integrated pictures and narratives of the city of the future.
• identify characteristics and functions of urban regions.
• develop a roadmap towards a liveable Ingolstadt 2040.

In doing so, students will take into account aspects involving Systems Thinking, Sustainable Development, Foresight, Health / Mental Health and Resilience in the context of a changing climate.

Learning Outcomes (By the end of the course, students will be able to):

• Explain the systems-thinking approach, demonstrating a profound understanding of its significance in solving complex problems.
• Explain Sustainable Development and the SDG framework.
• Understand the meaning and benefits of Foresight, explain and apply Foresight methodologies in a specific context.
• Explain mental health and resilience in the context of a VUCA environment (esp. the climate crisis).
• Integrate knowledge and different perspectives to develop and present a potential solution to a complex problem.