
In progress: A book on sustainable urban transformation
The world is facing an escalating climate crisis and rapid urbanisation intensifying pressure on infrastructure, resources, and the environment. In autumn 2025, DOM publishers will release a book that explores how sustainable urban transformation can be achieved through global collaboration, innovative research, and a focus on impact on the ground.
Photo: Urban intervention in Phnom Penh, 2022. © Stefanie Slawski
According to UN-Habitat, by 2050 around 70 per cent of the world’s population – some 6.7 billion people – will be living in cities, putting enormous pressure on infrastructure, resources, and the environment. The question is no longer whether cities and their regions must change, but how they can do so effectively and impactful to really achieve the necessary change.
The upcoming book Navigating Urban Development, which will be published by DOM in autumn 2025, explores how sustainable urban transformation can be achieved through global collaboration, innovative research, and a focus on impact on the ground. Drawing from ten research projects across East and Southeast Asia - Cambodia, China, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam - , it offers insights into how diverse actors are co-creating solutions for more resilient, inclusive urban futures.
At the heart of the book is the REframe framework, an impact-oriented monitoring approach that encourages a new way of working and understanding impact. Combining long-term goals (References) with adaptive learning (Reflection), REframe offers a practical tool for navigating complexity and fostering lasting change. Linking theory and practice, Navigating Urban Development offers both conceptual grounding, case studies and hands-on tools for those working toward sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban transformation.
The book was compiled as a result of the SURE Facilitation & Synthesis research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space as part of the Sustainable Development of Urban Regions (SURE) funding priority.

The book's editors:
Vivienne Mayer is an urbanist and researcher passionate about socio-ecological restoration, community-driven climate adaptation, and regenerative urban systems. She holds a Master’s in Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design and is currently a research associate at TH Lübeck, University of Applied Sciences, working on sustainable urban development in Southeast Asia. Her experience ranges from teaching in international workshops to applied fieldwork, including contributing to an integrated waste management strategy for informal settlements in Cape Town.
Anika Slawski is an urban planner who holds a Master's in Urban Design and is a research associate at TH Lübeck, University of Applied Sciences. Her work spans teaching and a broad range of research projects, from regional development in the German-Danish border region to international initiatives in sustainable urban development. Her doctoral research focuses on placemaking—the appropriation and design of spaces by people—with an emphasis on rapidly growing cities in Southeast Asia. Beyond academia, she acts as a board member of the non-profit organisation ArchitekturForumLübeck e.V.
Frank Schwartze is an urban planner and since 2013 a professor for urbanism and planning at the TH Lübeck, University of Applied Science. His focus is on strategic planning and forms and processes of sustainable urban development. After his studies in Berlin and Venice he obtained an European Postgraduate Diploma in France. As a practitioner he is engaged in urban planning and consultancy for municipalities and regions in Germany and as well for international development agencies. He has led several urban research projects on urban development and sustainable transformation in Germany, Europe and Asia.