TRANSFORMATION TALKS 3.0: MIND RUHRshift - Wie gestalten wir den grünen Wandel des Ruhrgebiets gemeinsam und gerecht?

In the organizer's words:

Green change in the Ruhr region needs new ideas. Your ideas! We want to discuss this with you - at the third edition of the Transformation Talks under the title: "Mindshift Ruhr - How do we shape the green transformation of the Ruhr area together and fairly?"

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

With the Green Infrastructure Charter, the Ruhr Regional Association is pursuing the goal of transforming the Ruhr metropolitan region into a green industrial region in the coming years. Green is considered in an integrated way - not as a supplementary element, but as a central component of a socially, ecologically and economically sustainable transformation. Green infrastructures should not only improve the quality of life, but also become a driving force for far-reaching transformations such as the mobility and energy transition.

This requires a mindshift in society as a whole towards a desire for a sustainable future that can offer a good quality of life for everyone. Many actors from science, urban planning, civil society, art and education are already working on this - through real-world laboratories, acceptance research, artistic interventions or neighborhood engagement.

Against this background, the Graduate Network of the Competence Field Metropolitan Research (KoMet) and the ARL's Forum Nachwuchs NRW invite you to the third edition of the Transformation Talks with the topic "Mindshift Ruhr - How do we shape the green transformation of the Ruhr area together and fairly?".

The call is aimed at - young academics (Master's students or graduates), - young practitioners in planning and urban development, - as well as committed individuals from culture, civil society and local politics aged 16 to 34.

Contributions are invited that deal theoretically, conceptually, empirically or practically with the question of how a mindshift for green change can be initiated, accompanied or reflected upon.

If you would like to participate with your own contribution, please submit an abstract of no more than one page (PDF, approx. 1,500 characters including spaces) by e-mail to metropolenforschung@uaruhr.de by July 11, 2025.

The selected contributions will be presented in a five-minute pitch. The form and medium of the presentation are freely selectable; tandem contributions are possible.

The audience will award the title of "Best Transformation Talk" and prize money of 300 euros to the most convincing contribution. Participation is also possible without a presentation and regardless of age group; the number of participants is limited to 50 people.

Do you have any questions? Then please contact Markus Gornik (markus.gornik@rub.de), member of the ARL's Forum Nachwuchs steering group (arl-net.de).

Further information on the workshop program, the call for abstracts etc. can also be found on our website: https://metropolenforschung.uaruhr.de/

The cooperation partners of this year's Transformation Talks 3.0 are the Regionalverband Ruhr and NRW.Bank.

Thank you very much for your support!