I was born Mai 7th 1946 in Aachen (Germany). I grew up in Heidelberg and Aachen. From 1966-1971 I studied Urban and Regional Planning, Transport, Applied Geography and Sociology in Bonn and Munich (TU und LMU). The broad range of different subjects was a motive for my interdisciplinary approach and border crossing activities (www.grenzgaenger.raumentwicklung.de). My conceptual position was much influenced by my professional work on different administrative levels:

-          Local level with planning work in Munich (1967-1971 as a freelance working student) and Bonn (1982-1983 as a project worker delegated by the Federal Government). This work was concentrated on redesign of main roads, traffic calming concepts, the future of tram systems and improvement of regional rail networks;

-          State level as head of the department for local and regional mobility in the Ministry for Housing, Urban Planning and Transport in Northrhine-Westfalia (1985-1995). This work concentrated on urban renewal of historical town centres, traffic calming, bicycle promotion and local traffic development plans;

-          National level (1972-1985) as head of the department for infrastructure in the federal agency for spatial development and regional analysis (BfLR), including national model programs on traffic calming, bicycle promotion and urban renewal and on the expansion of German university systems by the development of new universities and applied universities;

-          European level by participation in the COST C 6 research program on urban traffic safety and promotion of pedestrians (1997-2002).  

Through this, I got a deep understanding of the role, state and national governments play in the planning process by their legislative, administrative and fiscal regulations. On the other hand, I experienced the important role local authorities and local citizens and environmental pressure groups can play in developing innovative concepts. And I got a feeling for the important influence of applied research projects of university scientists or private and public research agencies.

In 1995 I was appointed as professor for Regional and Transport Planning and Applied Geography at Trier University. In the following 16 years more than 1200 Students have graduated under my guidance. Many of them are now working to put the visions of sustainable transport into reality. In addition, from 1999-2002 I managed an interdisciplinary research program „The regions and their environmental footprint“ (SFB 522), which included 18 projects in natural, social and economical science.

Later, I offered my expertise to governments on a national, state and local level, to transport enterprises and NGOs in the field of transport, demographic change, retail development and urban renewal.

For this purpose in 2007, together with Dr. Christian Muschwitz, I established the planning and consulting agency raumkom (Institute for spatial development and communication) ) with its head office in Trier and secondary office in Stendorf.

For many years I supported German and international NGOs dealing with issues of transportation and environment (VCD, ADFC, VCÖ, VCS, IG Velo, friends of the earth, rails for all).