IRD II Neckar Nexus Summer semester 2025 successfully concluded!

That was the challenge we explored in Neckar Nexus: Integrated Research and Design Studio in the summer term 2025 at IUSD Stuttgart. An interdisciplinary journey to reconnect the Neckar River with the city’s ecological systems, public life, and civic identity. From biodiversity to social belonging and governance, our work asked: How can an urban river become a connector — not a boundary?

🌱 Ecological connectivity — biodiversity, climate-resilient corridors
🏞 Social connectivity — inclusive spaces, community identity
🏛 Urban governance — the role of actors & policies

The Neckar Nexus studio was led by Shaharin Annisa and Angie Camacho and is a collaboration between the Department of International Urbanism and Design (Prof. Astrid Ley) and the Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology (Prof. Leonie Fischer).

The studio blended research, design, and direct engagement. Highlights included exceptional support from:
🚶 Kickoff walk across the Neckar in Stuttgart with Frieder Hartung
🏝 Visit to Neckar Insel with Christine von Raven & Tim Schaffarczik
💡 Guest lecture by Ute Meyer from urbanes.land - fluss.land initiative
🌿 Excursion to Neckarbiotop Zugwiesen with Günter Schlecht

• Activation & Interaction along the Neckar — Ewa Grzybek, Fatemeh Borji, Haritha B Nair, Vinicius Barreto
• A Stream for All: Reclaiming the Living Spine of the Neckar — Hyunmin Lee, Roma Adhikari, Shraddha Adhikari, Walter Mauricio Garzon
• Distributed Neckar Accessibility (DNA): The River as a Strand of Life — Caroline Liêu, Felipe González-Zapata, Viktorija Kozela, Xinwei Zhang
• Grey Zones: Potentials to Unlock — Ayesha Parveen, Jasper Schmidt, Jonna Künne, Silvia Ruiz
• Revitalising Neckar: Rights to and of the Neckar — Isaac Ataaba, Khashayar Edalat Pazhooh, Minoo Torabi, Rizwan Ahmad Khan
• Stories of Migration, Water, and Belonging Along the Neckar — Gréta Fazekas, Habiba Al Harrasi, Hediyeh Khoramshahi, Veronika Babiča