Short CV
Prof. Dr. Susanne Heeg has been Professor of Geographical Urban Research at the Institute of Human Geography at Goethe University Frankfurt/Main since 2006, where she also acted as spokesperson for the teaching and research network “European Urban and Regional Development”. In addition to the DFG Research Training Group “Habitual Change”, she is also a member of the DFG Research Training Group “Organizing Architectures”. She is a permanent member of the Urban Planning Advisory Board of the City of Frankfurt and was a member of the expert commission on the Berlin referendum “Socialization of large housing companies” from April 2022 to June 2023. Susanne Heeg is a member of the Latin America Network (PluriSoLA) at Goethe University Frankfurt/Main.
Heeg has held international research fellowships in Mexico, Toronto, Boston, and Cape Town. Her academic career began at the University of Hamburg, where she habilitated in 2006 on property-led urban development in Boston. From 1995 to 2000, she was a Research Associate at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). She studied sociology at the Goethe Universität Frankfurt. From September 2023 to July 2024, she was a fellow in the “Reclaiming Common Wealth” program at THE NEW INSTITUTE.
Research focus
Prof. Heeg’s research explores cities as focal points of societal conflicts and as local nodes in the network of global dynamics. She investigates the conditions and factors in the production of built environments, particularly focusing on how participation in cities is negotiated through material-physical conditions. Additionally, she examines the power and actor constellations influencing urban development and the processes that make the development of built environments more transparent and calculable.
Recent projects
- Reclaiming Common Wealth, project at THE NEW INSTITUTE in Hamburg (Sept. 23-July. 24)
- Neuordnung städtischer Verwaltungen: New Public Management am Beispiel der Liegenschaftsverwaltungen in Berlin und Frankfurt am Main: This project focuses on the transformation of urban governance structures, particularly examining the influence of New Public Management on property management in Berlin and Frankfurt. It analyzes the implications for transparency and accountability in the management of urban real estate.
- Organisationslogiken grenzüberschreitender Immobilienmärkte: Akteurskonstellationen und Geographien am Beispiel der Büromärkte von Warschau: This project investigates the dynamics of international real estate markets, focusing on the power relations and actor constellations that shape office markets in Warsaw. It explores the geographical, economic, and political influences that guide cross-border real estate transactions and market developments.