Our methodology and planning approach are based on the following principles:

Metropolitanisation as a driver of development
We live in an age of fast growing cities, which constantly have to prove their ability to innovate and adapt to changing conditions. To create inclusive, sustainable and resilient human settlements must therefore be the main goal to meet new demands accelerated by metropolitanisation. The MetroLab sees this claim as an opportunity to strengthen the development and management of metropolitan areas and to understand this process as a conscious design task.

Creative Governance as an incentive to foster cooperation
Since pressing issues such as climate change mitigation, the handling of uncontrolled growth or the adaption to new mobility patterns can’t be solved exclusively on a local scale, the need of an intensified cooperation across administrative borders and better coordination among all levels of governance becomes evident. Therefore, MetroLab points to the crucial importance of the regional metropolitan dimension and the need for creative solutions that bring together a variety of stakeholders.

Metropolitan Planning as a new discipline
The implementation of new communicative and multisectoral planning tools is the key to raise awareness of emerging metropolitan challenges. Due to different morphological, functional and legal definitions of metropolitan areas, independent advisory services provide essential support in identifying the actual need for action. Thus, we aim to contribute to building the foundation for a new kind of metropolitan planning: a practice discipline that promotes bottom-up processes at the metropolitan level.