In-house research

Since Fall 2021

Principal Investigators:

Prof. Dr. Karsten Zimmermann, Dr. Patricia Feiertag

In collaboration with Dr. Katarzyna Szmigiel-Rawska, University of Warsaw

We are investigating negotiation processes regarding land use change at the local level. The goal is to identify factors that explain the wide variations in land use change across municipalities. Previous studies have primarily examined the effects of economic, demographic, and fiscal factors on land use patterns. Political and institutional factors have  been underresearched. Local policymakers are often generally assumed to have an interest in growth.

Our study consists of both quantitative and qualitative components. The initial focus is on land use policy in municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the quantitative component, which has already been completed, an index for land-use change (LUCI) from 2012 to 2018 was calculated, and explanatory variables reflecting the balancing of interests were tested using spatial models. The analyses were led by Katarzyna Szmigiel-Rawska in conjunction with methodologically similar modeling studies for Sweden, Poland, and Portugal (with the participation of António Tavares, Emanuel Wittberg, Aaron Deslatte, Justyna Ślawska, Izabela Karsznia, and Julita Łukomska—all papers available here).

The qualitative follow-up builds on these findings and focuses on influential interest groups, including residents with above-average incomes and their positions on land use, as well as the influence of designated building land in neighboring municipalities, political party positions on land use change, and the acceptance of density. A qualitative content analysis of documents (zoning plans, council minutes, party platforms, local press) as well as guided expert interviews was conducted. The 15 interviews with city administration officials and local politicians regarding negotiation processes for land designation took place from November 2024 to November 2025.

Publications:

Feiertag, Patricia, Szmigiel-Rawska, Katarzyna, & Zimmermann, Karsten (2025). Political interest mediation at the local level as a factor explaining land take. The case of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2025.2455616

Feiertag, Patricia; Zimmermann, Karsten & Szmigiel-Rawska, Katarzyna (2023) Does politics matter? A study on political and institutional factors influencing land take. In: Spatial Planning, 223/5-2023, pp. 34–40.

Presentations:

Feiertag, Patricia: “Local political decisions influencing land take and density,” Conference: 6th World Planning Schools Congress “Peripheral Visions: Rethinking Planning,” Track 10: Politics, Aalto University, Espoo/Helsinki, July 2, 2026

Feiertag, Patricia; Zimmermann, Karsten: “Municipal Land Use Policy—A Qualitative Study of Political Parties’ Positions in North Rhine-Westphalia Municipalities,” Conference: 7th Dortmund Conference DoKoRP 2025 “Reasons to Plan in Times of Multiple Crises,” Dortmund, February 12, 2025

Feiertag, Patricia: “Wealthy Inhabitants and Their Attitudes Toward Land Use Change,” Conference: UAA/EURA 2024 “Cities on the Edge,” New York, April 26, 2024

Szmigiel-Rawska, Katarzyna & Zimmermann, Karsten: “Institutional Factors Explaining Land Use Changes: The case of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany),” Conference: EURA 2023 “The European City: A practice of resilience in the face of an uncertain future,” University of Iceland, Reykjavík, June 24, 2023

Teaching:

F-Project F 02 – Farmland or Development Area: How Much Influence Does Local Politics Have on the Expansion of Urban Areas? (2025/2026)

Bachelor’s Thesis 2025: Hannah Schmidt, “Local Political Positions on Land Use and Density—A Comparative Analysis of Various Party Platforms in the Cologne/Bonn Region, ” supervised by Dr. Patricia Feiertag and Prof. Stefan Siedentop