Urban Studies at the University of Basel assumes that the world's most pressing urban and ecological challenges require not only innovative courses of action, but also transformative approaches. Developing alternative future scenarios means rethinking the present and the past. So instead of merely trying to react to acute problems, we analyze their historical genesis, political dynamics and the way they are presented. Our approach integrates academic expertise, theoretical concepts and professional internships by focusing on the multi-layered and often contradictory realities of urban life and capturing them in all their complexity.