Christian Werthmann is an Associate Professor in the Landscape Architecture Department of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at TUM-IAS. He seeks to expand and find relationships with members of TUM who have an interest in nonformal urbanism (aka slums). The topic of Nonformal Urbanism requires an interdisciplinary approach. Werthmann makes connections with colleagues in the Institute for Urban Design, Urbanism and Landscape, but also with the University at large, such as the Center of Life and Food Sciences, or the Faculty for Engineering and Surveying, who work on innovative technologies regarding the provision of food, energy, transport, clean water, drainage or other ecological services in dense urban areas. In this bridging role he established a working relationship with Regine Keller, Chair for Landscape Architecture and Public Space, and with Harald Horn, Chair of Water Quality Control for an integrated water and public space proposal for an earthquake refugee settlement in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

On October 13 and 14, 2011, Werthmann brought his network of the world’s best designers on the topic of informal urbanism to TUM by having organized a symposium titled “Metropolis Nonformal Landscape, Infrastructure and Urbanism in the Global South”. This symposium set the basis for future more concentrated workshops regarding specific infrastructural topics such as water, energy, transport and waste.