Value and Evaluation in Structural Transformation

The Junior Research Group investigates how the "new" and the "old" are negotiated, (e)valuated and have a spatial impact in regional transformation and structural change processes. Transformation processes, such as the phase-out of coal, decarbonisation of industries, and technological change, bring about significant changes and challenges for regions. The research group is interested in how new ideas, technologies and organisational forms emerge, are selected and legitimised, and generate impact. Conversely, the group also examines how existing practices and knowledge can lose significance or be actively unlearned. This is understood as a process of "future(un)making" – the simultaneous emergence, preservation and dissolution of various conceptions and visions of the future. The group focuses particularly on the associated negotiations, (e)valuations, and devaluations in different regions and contexts, such as regional and municipal planning, companies, and civil society initiatives.