HFT Summer School 2025

The academic programme began with a four-hour workshop “Fundamentals of Machine Learning and Deep Learning”, led by Prof. Dr. Michael Mommert. He introduced the key concepts of artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning, clarifying the distinctions between these terms and explaining their practical applications. Participants then explored how neural networks work and are trained, as well as the current applications of AI technologies. The workshop included interactive exercises in which attendees could test simple neural network models and observe how machine learning systems make decisions.

The next highlight was a keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Dieter Uckelmann “CitiVerse – the Next Step in Urban Digital Transformation”. The lecture focused on the concept of urban digital transformation and its role in shaping future urban environments. Dieter Uckelmann emphasised one of the core challenges of contemporary urbanism: bridging the gap between physical and virtual spaces — a task that can be achieved through next-generation digital ecosystems. He presented the CitiVerse vision and discussed the challenges that researchers and developers face when building this ecosystem.

A special focus of the programme was fostering exchange between doctoral candidates, researchers, and urban development practitioners. The session “Smart City Planning and Public Participation” provided a central platform for discussing the role of society in the future of digital urban planning. The aim was to bring together professionals—experts in urban planning, civic engagement, and digitalization — with young researchers and PhD students who are developing innovative approaches to smart cities. Moderated by Martin Müller, managing director Lebenswerke GmbH Stuttgart, the session used a dynamic Fishbowl-discussion format to encourage all participants to engage in live dialogue. After short presentations by experts and doctoral researchers, the session was opened up for discussion, with the audience actively contributing questions and perspectives. 

Guest speakers included managing director Dr. Frank Friesecke and Hamidreza Ostadabbas from die STEG Stadtentwicklung GmbH with the topic “Smarter Cities Start with People: The Role of Participation in Urban Tech Planning”, as well as Prof. Dr. Volker Coors, Vice-President Research and Digitization at HFT Stuttgart. Two PhD research projects took centre stage: “Measuring Soundscape Comfort in Open Urban Public Spaces” by Michaela Marxt and “Bringing Cities to Life: AR/VR Tools for Public Participation” by Muhammad Alfakhori. Both projects offered innovative approaches to integrating digital tools into urban planning processes.

The second day began with an online lecture by Dimitri Ravin, responsible for Content & Partnerships at @urban-digital.de, a blog dedicated to digital innovation in urban transformation. His talk, titled “Germany’s Smart Cities: Insights from 7 Years of Blogging and Where We Stand Today”, was an inspiring start to the day. Dimitri Ravin shared insights from his years of work at Urban Digital, highlighting key trends, projects, and challenges in the digitalisation of urban spaces. Particular focus was given to innovative start-ups operating at the intersection of science, business, and municipal governance, with the aim of promoting sustainable, technology-driven urban development.

The programme continued with the thematic block “Urban Digital Twins and Metaverse”, moderated by Prof. Dr. Christoph Runde, managing director from Virtual Dimension Center (VDC) Fellbach. This session began with his presentation, “Insights from Project INSPIRER: Participation in Urban Planning Processes in Virtual and Real Spaces”, where he analyzed the potential of VR and AR technologies for urban planning. Christoph Runde also emphasised the importance of developing standards for integrating such tools into real-world urban development practices.

This was followed by a presentation by Dr. Stefan Trometer, managing director from virtualcitysystems GmbH. He demonstrated how digital city models combined with physical simulation technologies can be used to address critical urban issues, including explosion safety, energy-efficient urban design, flood prevention and improving air quality. His real-world examples generated significant interest and demonstrated the practical potential of digital twins in urban governance.

The session then continued with a series of presentations by doctoral candidates sharing their ongoing research in urban digital modelling. The presenters were Benjamin Huber, Juan Sardi Barzallo and Arpita Sinha from HFT Stuttgart, and Atheer Al Shaggah from the Polytechnic University of Hauts-de-France's, JUNIA School of Science and Engineering. The session provided a platform not only to showcase scientific projects, but also to facilitate professional exchange and discussion between doctoral candidates and experienced experts.

The final talk of HFT Summer School 2025 was delivered online by Dr. Karla Saldaña Ochoa from the College of Design, Construction and Planning, University of Florida. Her presentation, “Unveiling the Potential of Digital Twins: From Buildings to Urban Environments”, provided a fitting conclusion to the programme.

Die Summer School an der HFT Stuttgart war ein eindrucksvolles Beispiel dafür, wie die akademische Welt zum Ort des Dialogs zwischen Forschung, Praxis und wissenschaftlichem Nachwuchs werden kann. Zwei Tage lang diskutierten die Teilnehmenden die Herausforderungen und Chancen der digitalen Transformation urbaner Räume, teilten Erfahrungen und legten den Grundstein für zukünftige interdisziplinäre Kooperationen.

Die HFT Stuttgart bestätigte damit erneut ihre Rolle als Kompetenzzentrum für nachhaltige und digitale Stadtentwicklung – als Ort des Austauschs, der Ideenentwicklung und des beruflichen Wachstums für all jene, die Städte mithilfe fortschrittlicher Technologien aktiv gestalten wollen.

The Summer School at Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences showed how an academic setting can become a hub for dialogue between researchers, industry experts, and young professionals. During the two-day event, participants explored the challenges and opportunities of urban digital transformation, shared practical approaches and established the foundations for future interdisciplinary collaboration.

Once again, HFT Stuttgart affirmed its role as a centre of excellence in sustainable and digital urban development, offering a platform for knowledge exchange, the generation of new ideas, and professional development for those committed to transforming cities through advanced technologies.

The Summer School 2025 was organised as a part of the “HIRE” project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under grant number 03FHP206.

The complete programme for the HFT Summer School 2025 can be found here: