The “Impact Clinic for Sustainable Cities” course is funded by the TUM Future Learning Fund. Prof. Dr. Stefan Wurster and Andreas Marx lead this interdisciplinary collaborative project with various German cities and municipalities. The course was developed in collaboration with the Urban Digitainability Lab (Link) and will be offered during both the 2026 summer semester and the summer of 2027.

Project Description

Municipal digitalization projects address key challenges of the 21st century but often have limited impact because they fail to adequately account for complex, interdisciplinary interactions. There is a lack of formats that empower students to design ambiguous transformation processes in an evidence-based, reflective, and interdisciplinary manner.  Therefore, the Urban Digitainability Lab (TUM Think Tank), in collaboration with the Chair of Policy Analysis, has developed a concept that can be integrated across TUM within the framework of the funding line.

The Impact Clinic for Sustainable Cities establishes a model project format that views digitalization in the context of the “Twin Transition” as a systemic design task. Students develop the ability to structure solution spaces for complex problem situations, critically reflect on disciplinary perspectives, and link technological innovation with societal added value. 

Content

In this course format, we combine students’ drive and academic expertise with external municipal project partners working on issues such as mobility transition and climate adaptation. The module contextualizes digitalization within the “Twin Transition” framework as a lever for resilient, livable cities. Based on current research approaches, students develop a deep systemic understanding of the complex intersections between technology, society, and sustainability. 

The focus is on building transformative capacity. To manage complex processes, students learn applied skills for measuring impact: they develop robust indicators that make social and environmental factors—such as participation, environmental quality, or behavioral change—quantifiable, alongside technical metrics. 

Students apply this knowledge directly to real-world cases in partner municipalities. The goal is to bridge the gap between research and practice to close implementation gaps. By applying multidimensional impact frameworks, the teams examine how innovative measures are embedded in administrative systems and investigate interactions with inner-city stakeholders. Instead of focusing on isolated solutions, they learn to establish a dynamic cycle of planning, measuring, and learning that enables municipalities to respond flexibly to changes and to derive well-founded recommendations for action.

Our team provides students with active support in planning and carrying out their projects, and the seminar offers ample opportunity not only for initiative and creativity but also for mutual exchange and peer-to-peer feedback.

Schedule: Summer Semesters 2026 and 2027

The course is structured as follows: It begins with an introductory workshop and theory sessions designed to address the key issues surrounding the sustainable digital transformation of public administrations. A methodology module explains common evaluation processes and provides detailed handouts outlining specific steps for use in the course. During a “Challenge Day,” students will meet stakeholders from the partner cities and receive their respective challenge—that is, the project to be evaluated in their assigned city. This is followed by a guided project phase lasting 8–10 weeks, featuring various peer-learning sessions to collectively discuss insights from the projects and reflect on the work steps. The course concludes with a final presentation of the evaluation results attended by the project leaders from the partner cities.