I was born Mai 7th 1946 in Aachen
(Germany). I grew up
in Heidelberg and Aachen. From 1966-1971 I studied Urban and Regional
Planning,
Transport, Applied Geography and Sociology
in Bonn and Munich (TU und LMU). The
broad range of different subjects was a motive for my interdisciplinary
approach and border crossing activities
(www.grenzgaenger.raumentwicklung.de). My conceptual position was much influenced by my
professional work on
different administrative levels:
-
Local level with
planning work in Munich (1967-1971 as a freelance working student) and
Bonn (1982-1983
as a project worker delegated by the
Federal Government). This work was concentrated on redesign of main
roads,
traffic calming concepts, the future of tram systems and improvement of
regional rail networks;
-
State level as head
of the department for local and regional mobility in the Ministry for
Housing,
Urban Planning and Transport in Northrhine-Westfalia (1985-1995). This
work
concentrated on urban renewal of historical town centres, traffic
calming,
bicycle promotion and local traffic development plans;
-
National level (1972-1985)
as head of the department for infrastructure in the federal agency for
spatial
development and regional analysis (BfLR), including national model
programs on traffic calming, bicycle
promotion and urban renewal and on the expansion of German university
systems
by the development of new universities and applied universities;
-
European level by
participation in the COST C 6 research program on urban traffic safety and promotion of pedestrians (1997-2002).
Through this, I got a deep understanding of the role,
state and national governments play in the planning process by their
legislative, administrative and fiscal regulations. On the other hand,
I
experienced the important role local authorities and local citizens and
environmental pressure groups can play in developing innovative
concepts. And I
got a feeling for the important influence of applied research projects
of
university scientists or private and public research agencies.
In 1995 I was appointed as professor for Regional and
Transport
Planning and Applied Geography at Trier University. In the following 16
years more
than 1200 Students have graduated under my guidance. Many of them are
now
working to put the visions of
sustainable
transport into reality. In addition,
from
1999-2002 I managed an interdisciplinary research program „The regions
and their
environmental footprint“ (SFB 522), which included 18 projects in
natural,
social and economical science.
Later, I offered my expertise to governments on a
national, state and local level, to transport enterprises and NGOs in
the field
of transport, demographic change, retail development and urban renewal.
For this purpose in 2007, together with Dr. Christian
Muschwitz, I established the planning
and consulting agency raumkom (Institute for spatial
development and communication) ) with its head office in Trier and secondary office in Stendorf.
For many years I supported German and international
NGOs dealing with issues of transportation and environment (VCD, ADFC,
VCÖ,
VCS, IG Velo, friends of the earth, rails for all).
|