Head of Urban Transformations Research Team at SRF

Urban Sustainability Transformations | Urban Experimentation | Social Innovation | Vienna’s Planning History

Johannes Suitner is a spatial planner (TU Wien) with expertise in local transformations. His research revolves around how ubiquitous transformation objectives – such as „energy transition” – are being negotiated locally and translated into specific spatial and political projects of urban and regional change. He studies why such transformations succeed or fail, what role local contexts play in this regard, and how local governance and planning themselves change as part of the process. Johannes’ thematic focus areas are regional energy transitions, transformative climate adaptation, the role of social innovations and urban experiments in transformation, and Vienna’s planning history.
 

Guest Researcher at the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University (2024)
Guest Professor at the Int. Chair of Humanities & Social Sciences at Université Rennes 2, France (2023)
Guest Professor at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Research, University of Graz (2017-2018)
Lecturer at University of Economics, Vienna (from 2016)
Rudolf-Wurzer-Prize for Spatial Planning 2014
 

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Various teaching formats in the bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in Spatial Planning at TU Wien, especially on:

  • Urban development policy & strategic planning
  • Urban transformation processes
  •  Research Design & Philosophy of Science
  • Academic Publishing & Scientific Writing

Coordinator of the elective module "Global development of cities and metropolitan regions" (together with A. Hamedinger)

Substitute member of the Study Commission for Spatial Planning (2016-2019)

Current courses, opens an external URL in a new window

Selected publications:

  • Suitner, J., Haider, W., & Philipp, S. (2022): Social innovation for regional energy transition? An agency perspective on transformative change in non-core regions. In: Regional Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2022.2053096
  • Suitner, J. (2021): Towards Transformative Change. Die Schlüsselelemente experimenteller Ansätze in der städtischen Klimawandelanpassung erforschen. In: Der Öffentliche Sektor, 47(2), 53-64. 10.34749/oes.2021.4608
  • Suitner, J. (2021). Vienna’s Planning History. Periodizing stable phases of regulating urban development, 1820-2020. Planning Perspectives, 36(5), 881-902. https://doi.org/10.1080/02665433.2020.1862700
  • Suitner, J., & Ecker, M. (2020). “Making energy transition work”. Bricolage in Austrian regions’ path-creation. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 36(3), 209-220. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210422420300939?via%3Dihub
  • Suitner, J. (2015). Imagineering Cultural Vienna. On the Semiotic Regulation of Vienna's Culture-led Urban Transformation. Bielefeld: transcript.


Complete list of publications, opens an external URL in a new window


Selected projects: