Community service

Since 2018 Juergen dedicates a part of his time to work with community groups that seek to promote sustainable practices and democracy in the fields of planning and architecture. 

Based on his PhD thesis Juergen recognised that there are very powerful organisations that exert an enormous influence on policy and decision making. The organisations whose interactions he examined in London are among the most effective when it comes to getting their interests realised in policy as well as in development projects such as tall buildings and housing. 

Juergen believes that it is possible to learn from those powerful actors how to act strategically. This includes long term forward thinking and understanding the constraints and the possibilities of competing actors. Introducing, what may be termed 'strategic political capacities' is a key goal of his work for regional and local community planners as well as community groups. Juergen believes that a more sustainable kind of development can be obtained the more a balance of effectiveness in exerting influence is established between community groups, the private sector and levels of government.  

Recent activities

June 2020 - January 2021 Deutscher Werkbund Bayern e.V., Munich, Germany

• Conception and moderation of a series of interdisciplinary online-events aimed at developing visions and measures for adapting the fields of urban and rural planning, design and art to the challenges arising from the corona-crisis.

October 2018 - January 2019 Just Space network, London, UK

• Commenting on documents in participatory processes within the policy making of the New Southwark Plan; Main themes: tall building planning and social housing
• Contributions to work-shop discussions within community initiatives and academia

January - December 2018 Arbeitsgruppe Wohnungsnot, Regensburg, Germany

• Conception and tutoring in building an evidence base that shows the effects of the shortage of affordable housing on marginalised citizens
• Assistance in building cooperation’s with established political actors