Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann, member of the federal state parliament, visited the Institute of Spatial and Regional Planning (IREUS) of the Faculty together with Ingrid Gruschtschenko (vice chairperson VRS – Verband Region Stuttgart, political entity for the Stuttgart Region) and Beate Schiener, Stuttgart city council member and urban planner. The exchange focused on pressing challenges of spatial and urban development and the research at Professor Birkmann´s institute, e.g. planning approaches for adaptation to climate change, migration movements between urban and rural areas as well as synergies and conflicts between settlement development, transport infrastructure and mobility. Furthermore, means and ways for spatial research to support state and regional policy processes were discussed.