Ulf Wernicke was an experienced German urban planner and development specialist. In the academic year 1969-70, he attended the General Design course in the Department of Tropical Architecture at the Architecture Association, earning a post-graduate Diploma. Several years after graduating from the AA, he worked with the Freie Planungsgruppe Berlin GmbH (FPB) between 1977 and 1978 on the planning framework for the South of the City of Holzminden, Germany. Starting in 1980, he appears to have worked on the Bhaktapur Development Plan in Nepal, a large urban renewal and development project – set up as a joint venture between the governments of Germany and Nepal – aiming to promote economic growth and upgrade infrastructure, whilst preserving the city’s historical heritage. In 1998, records show he was a coordinator for the German Development Agency (GTZ), working on an integrated slum development program in Nagpur, India, which was set up to help develop a participatory program, raise institutional capacity, and assist the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) in responding to the needs of slum dwellers. A few years later, c. 2003-05, Wernicke became the GTZ country director for Nepal, overseeing several initiatives, including the program for Rural Community Infrastructure Works (RCIW) in Kalikot district, the Private Sector Promotion Project, and Rural Finance Nepal. His time in Nepal overlapped with the Nepal Civil War (1996 to 2006) and entailed navigating a tricky security situation, where development agencies were sometimes entangled in the conflict between the Nepalese government and the Maoists, with some incidents of violence and the subsequent response of suspending aid receiving coverage in local news. Wernicke passed away in 2020.

Sources

• Architectural Association Student Register 1945‐1972, AA Archives
• Architectural Association Diploma Roll Book, 1964-75, AA Archives
• Ulf Wernicke u.a. / Freie Planungsgruppe Berlin GmbH (im Auftrag der Stadt Hozminden): Holzminden Sud: Rahmenplanung, Konzepte, 1977-1978, StadtA HOL Bestand 2001 Nr. 5860
• Basic Needs and Government Services, An Area Study of Bhaktapur, Nepal, 1980, Rajeshwar Acharya, on behalf of the Centre for Economic Development and Administration
• DFID (Department of International Development) document– 1998, Sept 17, Sixth Meeting of the Urban Think Tank, “Institutional Arrangements for Provision of Water and Sanitation to the Poor”
• Nepal: Aid Suspension provokes criticism, News and Press Release, The New Humanitarian (TNH), 18 May 2005
• Nepal: Private Aid Groups Struggle to Survive Amid Civil War, Logan Marty, Global Information Network, New York, 23 May 2005
• GTZ launches economic discussion series, The Himalayan Times, Mar 19, 2005
• Memorial for Ulf Wernicke, Tagesspiegel, published on 05 April 2020