On October 6, 2026, the College of City and Regional Planning hosted an insightful seminar titled “Downzoning property rights as a strategy in flood risk management?” The seminar was presented by Mr. Rebaz Ali Hasan, Spatial Planning Alumnus and M.Sc. holder in Spatial Planning - Urban Transformation from TU Dortmund University.

The seminar focused on the findings of his newly published research paper, examining how spatial planning strategies and land-use regulations can be leveraged to mitigate extreme flood risks in vulnerable regions.

Key Themes Addressed:

• Lessons from the Ahr Valley Floods: Analyzing the devastating impacts of recent severe flooding on residential areas and housing infrastructure in Germany’s Ahr Valley.
• Downzoning as a Mitigation Strategy: Exploring the application of downzoning—restricting buildable property rights and development density—to minimize exposure and vulnerability in high-risk flood zones.
• Legal and Policy Frameworks: Evaluating German planning laws that formally designate flood risk zones and restrict building rights to enhance long-term spatial resilience.

For further details, the full paper is published in DisP - The Planning Review and can be accessed online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02513625.2026.2721901