On the third episode of ISOCARP Spotlight we had the privilege to host Thomas Stellmach (renown expert for sustainable urban development across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East) for a discussion on cities as integrated urban systems, sustainable urbanisation in different sub-Saharan African regions, Berlin’s smart city strategy and much more.

Thomas Stellmach is the founder and director of TSPA (Thomas Stellmach Planning Agency). He studied Architecture at TU Berlin and UPC Barcelona. His focus of interest is a sustainable urban development in a transforming world.

Since 2001 Thomas teaches and researches sustainable urban planning in an international context. He has lectured at Berlage Institute, the University for Science and Arts in Aleppo, Syria, and RISEBA University in Riga, Tsinghua University in Beijing, Technische Universität Berlin, Academie voor Bouwkunst in Rotterdam, Strelka Institute in Moscow, and UPC in Barcelona.

Thomas conceived Europe’s then-largest city extension project, “project a101” in Moscow, and supervised London’s 110 ha Barking Riverside neighbourhood development for Maxwan a+u in Rotterdam. He worked on the strategic plan for the 8 million people of Germany’s challenged Ruhr region, the plan for Astana’s Expo 2017 and city transformation projects in Baghdad and Moscow, as well as a spatial concept for Paris’ precarious banlieue districts and the competition-winning concept for Berlin’s central library and adjacent neighbourhood.

In his more recent work he has worked on plans for resilient neighbourhoods in Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as proposals for Berlin’s largest urban expansion and the strategic regional vision for Berlin-Brandenburg 2070. Thomas was recently been appointed by the governing mayor of Berlin as a member of the strategic advisory board of Berlin’s Smart City project. In 2016 he founded the housing cooperative urban coop Berlin to develop affordable housing solutions for the city.

Thomas also supports UN-Habitat as an expert for sustainable urban development and has coordinated city extension and infill projects in the Philippines, Rwanda, and Mozambique, with a focus on urban resilience towards climate change. He is a sought-after facilitator for planning workshops and has recently trained planning professionals and city leaders in Kenya, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Rwanda. Thomas has advised the Aga Khan Foundation, The French Development Agency AFD, and the German Development Service GIZ in matters of best practice in urban development and spatial planning.