Profile
Profile
Population Geography deals with processes of population development (fertility, mortality, migration) and population structure (distribution and composition of the population). It is based on demographic methods in a specific space-related perspective. Such issues are embedded in broader social geographic concepts broaching questions of socio-spatial organisation and interrelationships.
Population geographic as well as social geographic subjects can be projected into varying contexts (from local to global). The metropolitan and regional (spatial) level is of great importance, because here demographic and social aspects are portrayed in detail. Therefore teaching and research of the department are dedicated particularly to urban issues such as segregation, urban social development, the shrinking of cities, small-scale residential mobility, pluralisation of lifestyles, and ethnic minorities. Moreover, a special focus is on migration topics (external and internal migration) as well as on population development (spatial impact of the demographic change). The research of the department spatially concentrates mainly on the Berlin metropolitan area and on Germany.
It is our objective to fruitfully connect teaching and research to each other, to combine quantitative and qualitative methodology in a useful way and to impart this to students. Apart from theory based fundamental research we attach great importance to practical relevance and being in proximity to extramural actors.
