Since 2013, the Ruhr Lecture has been organized by the Institute of Geography at Ruhr-University Bochum and the Faculty of Spatial Planning at TU Dortmund University. They are joined in 2016 by the Joint Centre Urban Systems at the University of Duisburg-Essen. As of the winter semester 2016/17, the Ruhr Lecture is organized by the Competence Field Metroplitan Research (KoMet) of the University Alliance Ruhr (UAR).
Every winter semester, the lecture series has highlighted the broad spectrum of disciplines involved in metropolitan research at the Universitätsallianz Ruhr (UAR): Scientists and experts from various subject areas address current urban challenges and provide in-depth insights into their current work.
Spatially, the Ruhr Lecture often focuses on the Ruhr Region. Experiences from other metropolitan regions are also included and comparatively related back to the region.
The participants of the Ruhr Lecture consist of international students, but the lecture series also address the general public and all others who are interested in metropolitan research. The students come e.g. from the TU Dortmund University, Faculty of Spatial Planning, from the Master's Programmes of the Main Research Area „Urban Systems“ of the University of Duisburg-Essen and also from the Master's Programme „Geography/Urban and Metropolitan Studies“ of the University of Bochum. Due to this audience, the Ruhr Lecture will be held in English.
Winter semester 2023/24
The Ruhr Lecture is employed in the winter semester of 2023/24 under the title The Ruhr Region – A Metropolis in transition across disciplines and from a variety of perspectives to address challenges arising from the transformation processes of the Ruhr Region, or surrender.
The English Ruhr Lecture was organized in a proven way, purely virtual, during the lecture period.
Winter semester 2022/23
The Ruhr Lecture is employed in the winter semester 2022/23 under the title "Key Issues in Urban Systems Transformation: Strategies for Urban Change" discipline angles across and from different views with strategic approaches to processes of change in urban areas. How do cities and regions of the growing transformation requirements in connection with the Grand Challenges? What are the regional potentials are used? What are the options for the control of these processes are there? These and more questions were lit in the English-language series of lectures on selected Mondays from 16 to 19 at closer.
Winter semester 2021/22
At the heart of the Ruhr Lecture the comet-fields of research in this Semester with their research activities. The title was, therefore, Key Issues in Metropolitan Research – Insights into Current Research. Due to the given Situation, the Ruhr was organized Lecture in an entirely virtual.
Winter semester 2020/21
At the heart of the Ruhr Lecture the comet-fields of research in this Semester with their research activities. The title was, therefore, Key Issues in Metropolitan Research – Insights into Current Research. Due to the given Situation, the Ruhr was organized Lecture in an entirely virtual.
Winter semester 2019/20
The Ruhr Lecture in the winter semester 2019/20 focused on different methodological approaches to the city and the metropolis of research. Under the theme of Methodologies in Metropolitan Research: Disciplinary Differences, Challenges and Solutions have been discussed in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Winter semester 2018/19
In the winter semester 2018/19, the Ruhr was a Lecture with the topic The Future of The Ruhr Region: Beyond 2018 and the End of Mining in cooperation with the RAG-Stiftung organised and the future of the Ruhr area was dedicated.
Winter semester 2017/18
The Ruhr Lecture focused this year, the Emscher river and, together with the Emschergenossenschaft hosted and organized. On The Subject Of River Ecosystems in Transformation – the Conversion of the Emscher Expert met each interior from the practice on the Expert:interior of the theory.
Winter semester 2016/17
In the winter semester 2016/17, the Ruhr was first Lecture, together with all three of the URP-organized universities, and organized. Under the title Key Issues in Metropolitan Research the Expert gave experts the UAR universities insight into their metropolis research.