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Department of Spatial Planning
Winter Semester 2025/2026

M 06 - Clouds and Grounds – Data Centers and Planning

© open AI
Datenzentrum in Landschaft

“You IM (instant message), you blog, you take pictures, you publish, you podcast, you transact, you distance learn, you telemedicine. […] We build the infrastructure that goes in the data center that facilitates the participation age. We build that big friggin' Webtone switch. It has security, directory, identity, privacy, storage, compute, the whole Web services stack."  - Scott McNealy, former CEO, Sun Microsystems, 2013

In an era where digital infrastructure is as vital as roads and power lines, data centers—the physical backbone of the cloud—are quietly reshaping our landscapes. Clouds and Grounds explores how these opaque, high-tech facilities meet the grounded realities of land use, energy systems, and spatial development. Data centers are highly land- and energy-intensive, often located in urban or peri-urban areas with limited land availability, conflicting land use priorities, and growing concerns around sustainability and equity. Spatial planners are increasingly required to balance the infrastructural demands of data centers with broader urban development goals, such as housing, green spaces, and climate mitigation. Yet, there is limited research on how data centers are integrated into spatial planning frameworks, and how different governance models address their development.

This project aims to explore the spatial, environmental and regulatory implications of data center development within urban and regional planning contexts. The research will examine the similarities and differences in arising challenges and how planning policies seek to manage the integration of data centers in different contexts.

Potential Research Questions:

  1. What spatial conflicts arise from data center development, and how are these managed by planners?
  2. How are data centers currently addressed in spatial planning frameworks at local and regional levels?
  3. How do different cities (e.g., Frankfurt vs. Amsterdam) approach the governance of data center siting and infrastructure?
  4. What policy tools, spatial planning strategies and instruments are used to align data center development with sustainability and urban development goals?

Empirical Case Study Options:

  • Frankfurt, Germany: A global data interconnection hub under pressure from high land values and strict environmental rules.
  • Berlin, Germany: A growing tech and startup hub facing pressure to modernize its digital infrastructure while adhering to strict urban planning, heritage preservation, and climate neutrality goals.
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands: A pioneer in imposing moratoria on data center expansion due to spatial and energy grid stress.
  • Dublin, Ireland: A favored destination for hyperscale centers, now grappling with electricity supply constraints and national-level planning debates.
  • Turin, Italy: An industrial city in digital transition, leveraging its legacy infrastructure and innovation zones to attract data center investments.