Valesca von USSLAR

Narrative is a vital element of human society

Valesca studies art, literature, and media at the University of Konstanz on the shores of Lake Constance and was immediately intrigued by the unique approach of integrating art and ecological apects and values into landscape architecture and urban planning.

She believes that interdisciplinary work and exchange is essential for progress and therefore she decided to look beyond her own core disciplines to dive deeper into landscape architecture and urban planning. Consequently, she started the journey with DREISEITLconsulting.

Narrative could be used to connect with the complex challenges our world tries to resolve today. Stories are not only told in books they manifest in our actions and the places we create and live with them. They are also an essential tool to understand ourselves, our place and our role in the network that forms our world. Valesca strongly believes in the power of narrative and aim to use it to encourage people to look beyond their small snippets of expertise in order to show that we all are connected to one living world. Each of us contributes to it and there is so much we can share and learn from each other to create better liveable places.

Marie-Louise LEPPERT
Re-thinking old ways to exhilarate sustainable living

Marie-Louise has studied the Bachelor of Engineering program “Environmental Engineering and Resource Management” at the HTWG Konstanz. During her studies, her focus and deepened interest increasingly centered on sustainable urban development and landscape architecture. One example of her interest therein is her contribution to the Maun Science Park Project in Botswana by writing her bachelor thesis which analyses the applicability of a local mobility concept without private cars.

She also did various national and international internships and commitments in the field of marketing, communication, and sales as she believes there is more to driving change than only technical knowledge. Last, she was an intern at the Berlin headquarters of the Federal Foreign Office in the department of international cooperation for sustainable development. The internship gave her an increased understanding of the complexities of policy implementation, multi-stakeholder collaboration as well as the importance of culture and mindsets in sustainable transformations.

Marie-Louise believes that the inclusion of the ideas, needs, and wishes of the people in the planning processes as well as their understanding and support for it is the backbone of a prosperous shift towards more sustainable urban development. She is also convinced that getting out of the comfort zone and looking beyond boundaries is the way forward to more livable and sustainable cities.