From 2010 to 2020, the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy, under the headship of Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneidewind, was one of the centers of German real-world laboratory research, in collaboration with KIT in Karlsruhe and Leuphana University in Lüneburg. In 2020, Uwe Schneidewind took office as mayor of Wuppertal for a five-year term, where he experienced firsthand—right “in the engine room”—the limits and possibilities of urban transformation. In his book *Dienstschluss*, he presents a summary of these experiences. He describes how dysfunctional political mechanisms, an ever-thickening regulatory jungle, growing financial constraints, and specific individual demands placed on public officials hinder long-term transformation processes. At the same time, he highlights which actors and strategies nevertheless make change possible.
During the reading, Uwe Schneidewind provided insights into his book, focusing in particular on these mechanisms. This was followed by a group discussion in a “fishbowl” format: What does this mean for academia and, in particular, for transdisciplinary real-world laboratory research?
Joining Prof. Schneidewind in the discussion were, among others, Prof. Dr. Kora Kristof (Vice President for Sustainability and Digitalization at KIT) and Prof. Dr. Daniel Lang (Research Group Leader of “Shaping Real-World Laboratory Research” at ITAS and Scientific spokesperson for MuT) discussed these and other questions regarding the conditions for success and design possibilities for urban transformation with the participants.
The lecture took place on:
📅Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
📍TRIANGEL Transfer | Culture | Space, Kaiserstrasse 93, 76133 Karlsruhe