The people behind lala.ruhr:
lala.ruhr sees itself as a regional initiative and a network of people and organizations of all kinds and their activities. We are looking for partnerships and collaborators for projects and events.
Sebastian Schlecht
Sebastian is an architect and urban planner. He is the founder of lala.ruhr. Until 2023, he headed the Green Cities and Regions division at Baukultur NRW, and prior to that, he was responsible for project management for the City of Essen as part of the European Green Capital 2017 initiative. Sebastian has international expertise in the field of green urban development and its interactions with mobility and climate. He is also an active board member of JAS Jugend Architektur Stadt e.V. and teaches at various universities.
Melanie Kemner
Melanie is co-founder of lala.ruhr and expert for marketing and the implementation of regional formats. After the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010, she has been working as a freelance communications consultant and project manager for ExtraSchicht, the Pixelprojekt_Ruhrgebiet, the Kulturkonferenz Ruhr and Zehn nach Zehn -10 Jahre Kulturhauptstadt. For the European Green Capital – Essen 2017 she was in charge of marketing. Melanie is also co-founder of the c/o raum für kooperation and the consulting company TEAM i.
Johannes Zell
Johannes studied landscape architecture at the University of Kassel and works at the intersection of (landscape-) architecture and communication. For several years, he has been responsible for marketing and public relations at Förder Landschaftsarchitekten. At lala.ruhr, his responsibilities include social media and visual communication.
Sira Kremer
Sira is the project manager for Urban Experience Ruhr at lala.ruhr and, since 2026, has held a master’s degree in sustainability sciences from Lund University, focusing on event-based sustainability strategies in the Ruhr region.
Annette Bathen
Annette studied philosophy and political science at the Technical University of Dortmund. Her research focuses on participatory politics at the local level, the role of civil society in political processes, and the development of urban living spaces. Annette has been with Urbanisten e.V. since 2017 and is a member of the core management team.
Matthias Krentzek
Matthias is a creative entrepreneur based in Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf; his network of clients and partners is deeply rooted in the Ruhr metropolitan region. In recent years, he has successfully founded several companies and initiatives, including the Places_VR Festival. He knows how to bring creative ideas to life, recombine familiar approaches, and seek solutions that think outside the box.
Roman Pilgrim
Roman Pilgrim is a freelance artist and the organizer of the Places_VR Festival, Germany’s first free VR festival. As its founder, he has built a network through the Insane Urban Cowboys e.V. association that has attracted nationwide attention. In 2019, the association was recognized as a “creative.space” by creative.NRW for its work.
The following people have also contributed to previous projects:
Sally Below
Sally advises and supports municipalities and institutions on challenging development and cultural projects, develops communication and discussion formats, and, in collaboration with various partners, also implements her own ideas for the city. She is particularly committed to promoting diverse opinions and perspectives, as well as to the redesign of spaces. To ensure the operational implementation of these concepts, Sally Below founded the firm sbca in Berlin in 1999.
Stephanie Stiehm
Stephanie is studying geography at Ruhr University Bochum. After earning her bachelor’s degree in climate conservation and climate adaptation measures, she is now pursuing a master’s degree with a focus on urban and landscape ecology. She is the first intern at lala.ruhr and also works as a student assistant in Prof. Dr. Christian Albert’s research group on environmental analysis and planning in metropolitan areas.
Isabella de Medici
Isabella is a landscape architect and a partner at DTP Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH. She holds a teaching position at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts and serves on the jury for various competitions. In addition, Isabella is the spokesperson for open-space planning and a member of the board of the BDLA NRW.
Nadja Grizzo
Since 2011, Nadja has been advising and supporting cities across Europe on cultural matters and with their applications for the title of European Capital of Culture. Culture is also her favorite topic in her work as a freelance editor and proofreader. Since joining the team for the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010, a lot has happened: Across Europe, she’s meeting more and more people who are passionate about green and blue infrastructure, urban landscapes, and biodiversity and who effortlessly incorporate all of this into their work.
Johannes Baum
Johannes is a self-employed event specialist (IHK) and a certified event manager (IST). The combination of his business training and his many years of experience in technical event sectors makes him a skilled liaison between the various trades. He plans and directs a wide range of productions and events and ensures their smooth execution in the Ruhr metropolitan region, including for “European Green Capital Essen 2017,” European Mobility Week, and “Extraschicht.”
Martina Nies
Martina holds a degree in geography and is an expert in co-creative processes and participatory formats. Through her professional experience in the fields of economic development, economic and political consulting, as well as in academia and research, she has developed an understanding of diverse perspectives. She works as a freelancer under her brand, herdenintelligenz, and teaches as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen. At the Initiative für Nachhaltigkeit e.V., she develops and oversees collaborative projects such as the Urban Transformation Resource Center and the “Gemeinsam für Stadtwandel” network.
lala.ruhralsocooperates with:
RVR – Regionalverband Ruhr
Kitev – Kultur im Turm e.V.
TU Dortmund, Fachgebiet Städtebau und Bauleitplanung
Citymakers Europe-China
TU Berlin – Fachgebiet Städtebau und Siedlungswesen
JAS – Jugend Architektur Stadt e.V.
Impact Factory
Die Urbanisten e.V.
Sally Below—sbca
Johannes Baum – planwärts.de
Nadja Grizzo
Büro Stadtforschen.de
BDLA – Bund Deutscher Landschaftsarchitekten
Planungsbüro DTP Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH
c/o-raum für kooperation
Open House Essen