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Prof. Dr. Philipp Späth

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Institute of Environmental Social Sciences and Geography
Tennenbacher Str. 4
D-79106 Freiburg

Telefon: 0761 203 3725
Telefax: 0761 203 3729

Email:
Office hours: by appointment

 

 

Research Interests   |   Courses Taught   |   Professional Experience   |   Education   |   Avocational Activities   |   Selected Research Projects  |  Publications    |   PhD Supervision

 

Research Interests

 

  • (Urban) Environmental Governance
  • Transformation of energy, mobility and food systems
  • Regional and municipal energy, climate and transport policies
  • Multi-level governance
  • Smart City initiatives
  • Coordination through guiding visions 
  • Methods of transdisciplinary research

 

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Courses Taught

 

  • Technology Assessment
  • Urban Sustainability Transitions

 

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Professional Experience

 
Since 2015

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg

  • Head of research group "Urban Environmental Governance"

2009-2015

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
Assistant Professor

  • Research and Teaching on the subject of "Environmental Governance"

2003-2009

Interuniversitary Research Centre for Labor, Technology and Culture, IFZ in Graz
Senior Researcher 
  • Project coordination (National, EU)

  • Lecturing at the Universities of Klagenfurt und Graz

1998-2002

fesa e.V. Freiburg" (Association for renewable Energy in the Freiburg Region)

Projectcoordinatior and Director 

1997-1998

City of Freiburg, Environmental Protection Agency   

Alternative national service 

1996-1997

Institute of Cultural Geography, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
Research assistant

 

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Education

 

7/2016

  • Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg

     Habilitation; Venia Legendi: Environmental Governance and Urban Studies

11/2009

  • Alpen-Adria Universität, Klagenfurt
    PhD  in Philosophy (Science and Technology Study)
    Dissertation Topic: "New Forms of Governance forshaping socio-technical change"

1994-1997

  • Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
      Magister Artium (M.A.) in Political Sciences and in Geography

1993 - 1994

  • Freie Universität, Berlin

     Studies in Political Science and Geography

 1990-1993

  • Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
    Studies in Political Science and Geography

 

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Avocational activities (selection)

 

2012 - 2017

  • GartenCoop Freiburg (a Community Supported Agriculture initiative in the Freiburg region) 
    Active member (legal affairs working group), "Vorstand" (Formal representative) since 2014

2010 - 2016

  • Genova Wohngenossenschaft Vauban eG 
    Member of the advisory board

2010 - 2011

  • City of Freiburg, Environmental Protection Agency
    Member of the council for the CHP Program

2000 - 2002

  • Freiburg City Council Committee for Environmental issues
    serving as nominated citizen consultant

1998 - 2001

  • Local Agenda 21 in Freiburg
    Initiation and coordination of a working group on Energy

1994 - 1997

  • Carl-Duisberg-Gesellschaft (now: InWent.Org/Giz)
    Scholarship holder and Employee in the ASA Program

 

Selected research projects

  • Nachhaltige Energie der Zukunft: Soziotechnische Zukunftsbilder und Transformationspfade für das österreichische Energiesystem (2009 - 2010)
  • Climate Change in Murau: Mit abgestimmten und robusten Maßnahmen Klima und Bevölkerung bestmöglich schützen (2008 - 2009, Projektleiter) 
  • Die Gestaltung technischen Wandels in Energieregionen durch Leitbilder - Ein Weg zu nachhaltigen Energiesystemen (LeitER, 2004-2007, Projektleiter)
  • Integration durch Kooperation: Chancen zur Netzintegration dezentraler Stromerzeugung (InteKoop, 2005-2007, Projektleiter)
  • DG GRID - EU Projekt zu dezentraler Stromerzeugung und Regulierung (DG-Grid, 2005-2007, Projektleiter für den österreichischen Beitrag)
  • Bioenergy's Role in the EU Energy Market (Bio-Energy, 2003-2004)
  • Transition zu nachhaltigen Produktionssystemen mittels Szenarien-Prozessen (Transition, 2003-2005, Projektleiter)

 

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Publications (selection)

 [ORCID]

  • Urban governance arrangements for sustainability and justice – linking theory with experience. Jakob Kramer, Sophia Silverton, Philipp Späth; Urban Transformations 6(1):6 (2024). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42854-024-00064-4#citeas
  • Transformative or incumbent futures? How the future of mobility is imagined in sustainability transitions research; Tom Hawxwell, Abe Hendriks, Philipp Späth; Futures 159 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2024.103325
  • de Hoop, E., Boon, W., van Oers, L., Smith, A., Späth, P., and R. Raven (2022). "Deliberating the knowledge politics of smart urbanism". Urban Transformations 4(6).

  • Späth, P. and J. Knieling (2020). "How EU-funded Smart City experiments influence modes of planning for mobility: observations from Hamburg." Urban Transformations 2(1): 2-19.

  • Oers, L. v., S. Marvin, P. Späth, R. Raven, E. d. Hoop and E. Jolivet (2020). "The politics of smart aspirations: interrogating the knowledge claims of smart mobility." futures 122.

  • Jensen, J. S., Cashmore, M. & Späth, P. (2019). "Politics of Urban Sustainability Transitions: Knowledge, Power and Governance", Abingdon: Routledge.

  • Mischkowski, N. S. and P. Späth(2019). "The Role of Companies-in-Movements in Regional Sustainability Transitions - A case study on the Economy for the Common Good in South Tyrol " ZfwU 2019(3): 376-405.

  • De Hoop, E., van Oers, L., Becker, S., Macrorie, R.,  Spaeth, P., Astola, M., Boon, W. (2019): “Smart as a global vision? Exploring smart in local district development projects”, Architecture and Culture 7(2), 1-19.

  • Raven, R., Sengers, F., Spaeth, P., Xie, L., Cheshmehzangi, A., & de Jong, M. (2019). Urban experimentation and institutional arrangements. European Planning Studies, 27(2), 258-281.

  • Späth, P. & Knieling, J. (2019). "Smart City Experimentation in Urban Mobility – Exploring the Politics of Futuring in Hamburg". In:  A. Lösch, A. Grunwald, M. Meister and I. Schulz-Schaeffer. Socio-technical futures shaping the present - Empirical examples and analytical challenges;Heidelberg: Springer VS; pp. 161-185.

  • Späth, P. & Knieling, J. (2018). "Endlich Smart-City-Leuchtturm: Auswirkungen des EU-Projektes mySMARTLife auf die Planungspraxis in Hamburg". In: S. Bauriedl and A. S. (Hg.). Smart City - Digitale Technologien, Raumproduktion, Intervention, Transcript-Verlag; S. 345-356.

  • Arifi, B. & Späth, P. (2018). "Sleeping on coal: trajectories of promoting and opposing a lignite-fired power plant in Kosovo." Energy Research & Social Science 41: 118-127.

  • Giurca, A. & Späth, P. (2017). "A forest-based bioeconomy for Germany? Strengths, weaknesses and policy options for lignocellulosic biorefineries." Journal of cleaner Production (153): 51-62.

  • “Global challengers can be local incumbents: About the district heating system in Freiburg”, Invited presentation at the Workshop on „Incumbent-challenger dynamics in energy transitions: Governmental challenges”, Free University Berlin (FFU) and Helmholtz Alliance “Energy-Trans”, Berlin, 18.September 2015. 

  • Hodson, M., Marvin, S. & Späth, P. (in print). "Subnational, Inter-scalar Dynamics: The Differentiated Geographies of Governing Low Carbon Transitions - With Examples from the UK". In:  H. G. Brauch, Ú. O. Spring, J. Grin and J. Scheffran. Handbook on Sustainability Transition and Sustainable Peace (STSP) New York, Springer.

  • Späth, P. & Rohracher, H. (2014). "Cities and socio-technical change - Dynamics at an urban junction of heat infrastructure and building standards." Energy Policy 78: 273-280.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.12.019i

  • Späth, P. & Rohracher, H. (2014). "Beyond Localism: The Spatial Scale and Scaling in Energy Transitions". In:  F. J. G. Padt, P. F. M. Opdam, N. B. P. Polman and C. J. A. M. Termeer. Scale-sensitive Governance of the Environment. Oxford, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd: 106-121.

  • Rohracher, H. & Späth, P. (2014). "The Interplay of Urban Energy Policy and Socio-technical Transitions: The Eco-cities of Graz and Freiburg in Retrospect." Urban Studies 51 (7): 1415–1431.

  • Späth, P. (2012). "Understanding the social dynamics of Energy Regions - The importance of discourse analysis." sustainability (4): 1256-1273.  Url: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/4/6/1256

  • Späth, P. and Rohracher, H. (2012). "Local demonstrations for global transitions - Dynamics across Governance Levels Fostering Socio-Technical Regime Change Towards Sustainability." European Planning Studies 20(3).

  • Späth, P. and Rohracher, H. (2011). „‘Eco-Cities’ and the social dynamics of urban climate policies and energy transitions “. In: Bulkeley, H., Broto, V.C., Hodson, M. and Marvin, S.: “Cities and low carbon transitions”, Routledge. pp: 88-106.

  • Rohracher, H., Schreuer, A. et al. (2011). E-Trans 2050 - Nachhaltige Energie der Zukunft: Soziotechnische Zukunftsbilder und Transformationspfade für das österreichische Energiesystem. Graz & Wien.

  • Späth, P./ Rohracher, H. (2010). "‘Energy Regions’: The transformative power of regional discourses on socio-technical futures." Research Policy 39(4): 449–458.

  • Späth, P. (2010). Aus transdisziplinären Projekten lernen: Potentiale interner ex post Evaluationen anhand einfacher Leitfragen. Technology Governance. Der Beitrag der Technikfolgenabschätzung. G. Aichholzer, A. Bora, S. Bröchler, M. Decker und M. Latzer. Berlin, edition sigma: 353 - 360.

  • Schreuer, A., Rohracher, H. Späth, P. (2010). "Introduction - Transforming the energy system: the role of institutions, interests and ideas." Technology Analysis & Strategic Management 22 (6 (Special issue edited by Schreuer, A.; Rohracher, H. & Späth, P.): 649 — 652.

 

For the most up-to-date list of publications, please visit the University of Freiburg Research Data Bank here.

 

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PhD supervision

 

2019

  • Bleta Arifi: “Objects and subjects of dissent: Analyzing opposition to wind and coal based energy infrastructures in Germany and Kosovo”.

2018

  • Chelsea Tschoerner: “Sustainable Mobility in City Regions - Exploring the Role of Discourse in Institutional Change”.

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