Based on the results of design studios, interviews, and research of the last two years, the chair of Urban Planning and Design of the University of Stuttgart presents a trend book on current urban issues as the basis for a two-day design workshop at the IABR–2016. Designers from different disciplines are welcome to participate and to continue to build on this research by designing for a specific site in Rotterdam.

The concept of the trend book goes beyond a collection of materials. It will be used as a first communication tool that is tested with our peers during the IABR–2016. It includes the main outcomes of all the meetings, table sessions, and students’ proposals of recent design studios in various European Cities. It serves as both an inspiring work-in-progress collage to question urban conditions and a scientific abstract of the recent transformation processes our cities currently face. It points a finger toward the challenges of demography, migration, energy, and the circular flow economy.
The key research question for the urban condition will be: How can we propose a dynamic stable urban fabric that has room for both voids and congestion?