The Joint Centre Urban Systems (JUS) is an inter- and transdisciplinary "umbrella" research centre with central facilities at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and represents the university’s strategic research area "urban systems". The JUS is part of a greater scientific cooperation within the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), which, together with the Ruhr University of Bochum and the Technical University of Dortmund, founded the Competence Field Metropolitan Research (KoMet).