Research at ZIRIUS on the potentials and risks of the digital society focuses primarily on the chances and limitations of intelligent and computer-based systems for a socially just transition towards sustainability in the fields of planning and building construction and mobility and energy infrastructures.
Current research projects investigate the use of computer-based methods, AI and intelligent control elements in urban planning, for a sustainable, climate-neutral and liveable built environment and for a reliable, resilient, socially just and democratic implementation of the energy transition.
Central research questions are:
- What potentials do digital and computer-based sociotechnical arrangements provide for a socially just transition towards sustainability in the fields under study?
- Which social, economic, institutional and cultural preconditions are required to realise these potentials? Where are problems and limitations and possible conflicting objectives, risks or undesired side effects and how can we address them?
- What hopes and expectations are invested in the digital transformation(s), what values and visions of the future are driving the transformation(s) and what is the role of sustainability and social justice in these processes?
- How can the needs of different social groups already be included and taken into account in the development of new sociodigital arrangements?
Further Projects
Current Projects of this Research Area
Investigation of social and technical potentials and challenges of the application of computational design methods in building design practice
within the Cluster of Excellence „Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture“ (IntCDC)
To support the transformation of the energy system with all its social frictions and conflicts, a new inter- and transdisciplinary research network is being established at the University of Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Research Initiative "Discursive Transformation of Energy Systems" (SRI DiTEnS). In the initial research project "VR-based simulative design of a societal dialog for the transformation of urban energy systems", corresponding stakeholder-integrated decision-making processes for (pre-)urban (existing) neighborhoods for all buildings and infrastructure components located there are to be developed.
The goal is to analyse possible ways to motivate employees and students to save energy and help achieve climate neutrality at the university of Stuttgart. EKUS exponent i builds on technical research concerning single room intelligent control systems and sociological research on motivational factors influencing individual, environmental behaviour.
Contact
Christian D. León
Dipl.-Ing.Spokesperson for the Research Area Potentials and Risks of the Digital Society / Research Associate
Sabine Mücke
Office