Our research critically analyzes existing legislation and places it within the context of constitutional and EU legal frameworks as well as societal developments. In doing so, we highlight where and how the law acts as either an obstacle or a driver of transformation.

As part of the Institute for Spatial Planning, the Law Research Unit makes a central contribution to interdisciplinary research. The topics of planning law, construction and environmental law, infrastructure law, climate and sustainability law, as well as governance issues, are particularly well-suited to existing research contexts within the framework of Urban and Regional Transformation.

Specifically, the Law Research Unit is currently focused on three main research areas:

Transformative Construction and Planning addresses legal issues arising in connection with the promotion of sustainability and digitalization in construction and planning. Of particular relevance here are legal challenges in the urban context.

Public Climate Protection and Sustainability Law has developed into a distinct field of research that is strongly shaped by constitutional and international requirements. We analze these developments and their implementation in Austria from a legal perspective and within the context of a changing understanding of human-nature relationships.

The third focus concerns issues of democratic reform, the governance of upcoming transformations, and the role of civil society in legislative and planning processes