SMUS

SMUS

The Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS) is one of seven Excellence Centers for Exchange and Development (exceed), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Its coordination unit is based at the Technische Universität Berlin.

Focusing on some of the most pressing issues related to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” of the Agenda 2030, SMUS serves as a platform facilitating dialogue and collaboration in urban sustainability research, teaching, and planning practice.

Following Phase I (2020-2024), which focused on advancing the academic discourse on spatial methods for urban sustainability and bridging disciplinary and implementation gaps; Phase II (2025-2029) addresses intertwined wicked urban problems. The SMUS network partners work together via 5 Actions to develop tactics and strategies on how to best tackle these challenges through transdisciplinary, spatial, and practice-led research.

SMUS continues to work on expanding and consolidating its international network of scholars and practitioners with South-South cooperation and co-production processes. Our long-term goal is to have the network become autonomous, with collaborations between global network partners continuing beyond the life of this project.

Wicked Urban Problems

SMUS Phase II explores wicked urban problems (WUP) that underpin the targets of SDG 11.

Unlike tamable problems, which can be “solved”, wicked problems–such as climate change or poverty–are paradoxical, multi-causal, unstable, and socially complex in nature. Because of this, they cannot be tackled in a linear manner but they have to be “resolved” over and over again in an iterative way. Wicked problems are both interconnected and interdependent, thereby giving rise to unforeseeable consequences.

SMUS focuses on the unfolding of wicked problems in urban spaces–wicked urban problems (WUP)–and suggests tackling them through transdisciplinary, spatial and practice-led research. This threefold approach is implemented in close collaboration with nine core partner universities from three world regions: Latin America, East and Southern Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.