Florian Wiedmann is an academic architect specialized in sustainable urbanism who has been working in research, practice and teaching since 2006. His involvement in interdisciplinary projects and courses in five different countries made it possible for him to gain in-depth experience in various areas of urban development, from urban governance to urban economics and the spatial impact of migration. The main focus of his research, practice and teaching are found in the context of rapid urban growth and transformation in emerging cities and the resulting challenges, such as new satellite settlements, urban renewal strategies and the role of architecture in place making and in introducing affordable housing. After his studies in architecture and urban design at TU Dresden and University of Stuttgart, Dr Wiedmann began his PhD at the urban design institute of the University of Stuttgart. The topic of his dissertation was the new form of urban governance and the resulting transformation of the built environment in fast-growing cities in the Gulf region, with Dubai and Bahrain as case studies.In 2009, he was employed at Albert Speer + Partner (AS+P) in Frankfurt am Main, where he gained practical experience in architecture, urban design and planning. This included work on the plans for a large conversion of a former industrial area in Munich and providing support to the local planning authorities regarding key urban design and architectural decisions for the new Siemens Headquarters. He also participated in the development of a master plan for a satellite city extension in metro Cairo. After this position, he joined an international research collaboration between TU Munich and Qatar University as a post-doc in 2011. Over three years, during which he lived in Doha, Qatar, he coordinated an interdisciplinary and international team and explored new approaches to identify the various interdependencies between economic diversification strategies and the restructuring of urban settlements.
After returning to Frankfurt am Main in 2014, he became an external lecturer at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Faculty of Architecture). He still hold this position currently, and is responsible for various design studios, courses and the supervision of master’s students. In addition to teaching, he has worked as a sub-consultant for Makower Architects on plans for an urban regeneration project in the city centre of Doha. After successfully acquiring a new research project from the Qatar National Research Fund, he joined the University of Strathclyde (Department of Architecture) in Glasgow, where he has been studying the effects of rapid migration processes on housing and urbanism in the Global South.
