IHS-65 years of making cities work for all

65 years of making cities work for all

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

RESEARCH

03 Foreword

16 Research

Read the foreword of IHS General Director, Dr David Dodman.

04 About IHS Find out more about our mission and vision and remarkable 65th anniversary celebrations.

05 Our history Find out more about the beginnings of IHS and how it became the insititute it is today

06 IHS in numbers Take a look at our achievements in education, research and advisory in 2023.

HANDS-ON LEARNING

Addressing important and relevant questions through high-quality research is essential for decisionmaking.

ADVISORY 20 What projects are we working on?

IHS designs and conducts tailor-made capacity-building trainings through knowledge sharing.

21 Training urban professionals worldwide

Learn more about the tailor-made trainings organised by IHS recently.

KEY ISSUE

09 Our classroom & approach “Our responsibility as educators goes beyond just equipping graduates for the job market.”

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11 Real-life case studies Is there a typical IHS student? Learn more about the IHS student base from this article.

12 Student support at IHS How does IHS give support to its students through the Educational Management Office?

13 Alumni voices Learn more about what some of our key alumni do in the urban field.

25 What does IHS mean to you?

Foreword

Dr David Dodman Until recent years, 65 was commonly considered the retirement age in many European countries.

Nowadays, that has changed – in response to increases in life expectancy and the growing demands placed on pension systems. But how should IHS celebrate reaching this milestone, and what should we be aiming to achieve in the next stage of our organizational life?

Over the course of the last year at IHS, I have repeatedly been reminded of the huge contribution that the organization has made. The impact made by our graduates, the evidence provided by our research, and the guidance given through our advisory activities have demonstrably shaped urban development around the world in many positive ways. We will shortly start the process of developing a new institutional strategy, and look forward to working with the global IHS community to shape this. As we look to the future, we aim to be even more insightful as we seek to understand the complexities of urban change, even more inclusive in making cities work for all, and even more ambitious as we seek to achieve a positive social impact.

Dr David Dodman IHS General Director

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IHS 65 YEARS

INTRODUCTION

About IHS The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) is an institute combining education, advisory and research activities, as part of the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Erasmus School of Economics. For 65 years, it has been our mission to develop human and institutional capacities, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life in cities.

Looking at cities from different perspectives, we educate urban professionals with diverse backgrounds, consult national and local governments from the Global South and engage in cutting-edge urban research. Bringing practical experience from real-life projects back to the classroom, we inspire collaboration and co-creation of urban knowledge. Together with our partners, we work at the forefront of urban development to improve the well-being of people living in cities. IHS is about making cities work.

Our network of alumni includes over 11,000 active urban experts from all over the world, ranging from architects, social scientists, and economists, to public administration workers, civil servants, and government officials.

Mission & Vision We envision cities that are liveable and just as well as socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Our mission is to inspire and empower urban professionals and citizens to make cities work for all.

Celebrations As IHS celebrates its 65th anniversary, it continues to evolve and adapt to the changing urban landscape. The institute recognizes the emergence of new challenges, such as rapid urbanization, digital transformation, and social inequality. With an eye toward the future, IHS continues to inspire urban professionals and drive positive change in our rapidly urbanizing world.

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IHS 65 YEARS

Our history Founding of the Bouwcentrum

1958 Founding of Bouwcentrum International Education (BIE)

1976 From BIE to IHS–Institute for Housing Studies

1991 New organizational structure

2003 IHS wins UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award

2008 Start of a PhD programme

2021 65th Anniversary

The beginnings of IHS November 3rd marks exactly 65 years since the first International Course on Building started at the Bouwcentrum.

It was the start of what would later become IHS. The Bouwcentrum was established right after the Second World War, with the mission of developing methodologies and technologies for rapid construction of affordable housing, as Rotterdam was severely damaged after being bombed.

It was officially opened in 1948, in the Round Building.

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IHS 65 YEARS

1948 first International Course on Building (ICB) started at the Bouwcentrum

1968 Direct involvement in overseas projects

1982 IHS–Institute for Housing & Urban Development Studies

1996 IHS becomes part of Erasmus University Rotterdam

2007 50th Anniversary

2014 Largest and most diverse student group

2023

In 1958, Jan van Ettinger Senior, Managing Director of the Bouwcentrum, established the International Course on Building, to acquaint planners, engineers and architects from the Global South with the methodology to achieve a systematic solution to building requirements.

INTRODUCTION

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IHS 65 YEARS

FACTS & FIGURES

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IHS 65 YEARS

FACTS & FIGURES

Hands-on learning We believe that a strong understanding of concepts and theoretical frameworks goes hand in hand with a rich practical experience.IHS provides an environment where students can apply their newly acquired knowledge and collaborate with classmates from over 45 countries.

Our classroom & approach IHS educates students and young professionals who want to be urban actors and contribute to the sustainable development and resilience of cities. IHS also recognises the need for continuous learning, especially among middle-level and senior policymakers and city actors from the private sector, CBOs and NGOs and provides tailor-made capacitybuilding training for them and/or their institutions.

Our MSc Urban Management and Development bring together, on average, 120 participants from over 45 nations: a remarkable mix of urban enthusiasts from all over the globe who find their calling in local government, a private consultancy, or academia. At IHS, they can specialise in urban sustainability, housing and land justice, planning and digital innovation.

Such diverse cohorts bring many perspectives, experiences, and talents, enriching the learning environment and fostering innovative solutions to complex urban challenges.

“Our responsibility as educators goes beyond just equipping graduates for the job market.”

-David Dodman Addressing the challenges associated with a rapidly urbanizing world will require a cadre of educated, competent and committed professionals. As an institute committed to inspiring and empowering urban professionals and citizens, we need to listen carefully to governments, international agencies and civil society actors to understand the gaps in knowledge and the areas of expertise that need to be strengthened.

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IHS 65 YEARS

EDUCATION

We can then tailor our curricula to these identified needs and can help to ensure that our alumni enter the workforce equipped to make cities more liveable, just and sustainable.

But our responsibility as educators goes beyond just equipping graduates for the job market. We need to make sure that they are aware of issues that are emerging or that have been ignored so that they can actively shape the agenda for urban planning and management wherever they find themselves working, thereby contributing to transformational and lasting improvements in towns and cities around the world.

For our sessions on refugee housing and collaborative housing, we focus on the Netherlands. However, when it comes to slum upgrading, resettlement sites and services, and community-led housing, we focus on international cases, in the countries where we have worked, like India, the Philippines, Thailand, Sudan, Venezuela etc. Then we compare different approaches and we reflect on what elements can translate to other contexts.

“We do not approach global South and North in a binary way” -Maartje van Eerd In our teaching, we don’t approach global south and global north in a binary way. In the housing track, for instance, we look at housing from an international academic - and applied perspective. We present and critically reflect on case studies worldwide. When we teach housing approaches, case studies are very prominent. When discussing social housing, we zoom in on the social housing sector in the Netherlands to draw out key principles and critically reflect on implementation. We then look at if and how the principles can be applied to the context of our students’ countries.

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A unique feature of our MSc programme is the cross-fertilisation of our core activities. Research and advisory projects that staff are involved in, translate into case studies in the classroom and offer students a chance to work on actual challenges that cities face. Conducting their thesis research within an IHS project is an enriching experience for many master's students.

They are able to work with real stakeholders and deliver insights and recommendations. Having lecturers who also work in consultancy provides a great opportunity to learn how things work in practice.

EDUCATION

Real-life case studies During a long-term IHS project on urban resettlement and livelihood outcomes for poor women in Chennai, India, students like Ishita were able to travel to the resettlement site of Kannagi Nagar and conduct thesis research. Her research covered the social vulnerability of women to extreme water events and the outcomes of resettlement.

For his research, he travelled to Cuenca, Ecuador and had the chance to experience working on a real project shadowing IHS staff.

There, he talked to people involved in water management about ways to make even their advanced technologies more efficient.

“Because we were using common methods, my thesis could be read by a city counsellor, by an engineer in a water management company, or by professors, and all of them could make sense of it.”

- Rishi Bhatnagar Such projects are a great example of how IHS establishes collaborations through its wide global network. Some of these projects are initiated by or in partnership with IHS alumni. The project in Chennai, India, was initiated by IHS alumni and associate professors from Anna University.

Another such example is the thesis research conducted by Rishi. It focused on how water and energysaving technologies can impact climate change.

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During their study year at IHS, Mackenzie, Camilo, Carlos, Nadine and Hussein conducted research on the digital divide - as a new form of social exclusion in Carnisse, Rotterdam. Their study filled a gap in city-level knowledge of the digital divide, and the findings were presented to the neighbourhood council and the mayor of Rotterdam.

EDUCATION

Student support Given that IHS is located on the Erasmus University Rotterdam campus, students enjoy access to a wide array of campus facilities, including cafeterias, the university library, a sports centre, and computer facilities. Moreover, our own IHS library stands ready to assist students in locating the most relevant literature, and they can also utilize the resources of the EUR library.

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Colleagues from the Education Management Office support students upon their arrival in the Netherlands by offering assistance with transportation, administrative procedures, insurance options, access to medical assistance, and guidance on managing living costs.

Course participants also get to connect and unwind at Social and Cultural Evenings, sports activities, and field trips.

EDUCATION

Alumni voices Beatrice Hati Beatrice Hati has expertise in urban development, resilience and sustainability practice. After graduation, Beatrice returned to her hometown, Nairobi, and became a PhD candidate at ISS. She concurrently works as the Urban Coordinator at the International Centre for Frugal Innovation, Kenya Hub. After her undergraduate degree, Beatrice worked as an urban planner in an informal settlement context.

With time, she realised that the conventional setup of planning did not fit her well.

“Informal settlements are totally outside the system because they are founded illegally. Their illicit status often impedes effectual response from governments as they are considered settlements established outside the “formal” law, policy and institutional systems that are meant to enhance the liveability and wellbeing of urban residents. Being part of the system required me to adopt conventional planning strategies, which are often authoritative and deterrent to the sustained, equitable and inclusive growth of the urban poor. Eventually, it meant putting the people in these informal settlements out of their places.”

Coming to IHS helped Beatrice find a new direction, as she got acquainted with the topic of resilience and she decided to find out how the vulnerable urban poor populations, with minimal resources and multifaceted local cost advantages, can better prepare, respond and adapt to unpredictable change, disasters and crises. It was also at IHS where Beatrice found out about the Center for Frugal Innovation, where she currently works.

“If I didn't come to IHS, I would not be on my current career path. Identifying this niche through my study enabled me to find a new focus and career path."

-Beatrice Hati

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ALUMNI

Alumni voices Giulia Maci Meet Giulia Maci, IHS alumna and urban planner, specialised in gendersensitive city development, youth engagement and community-based action planning with work experience in more than 20 countries across the globe. Currently, she works as an urban specialist at Cities Alliance – UNOPS in Brussels, coordinating the Cities for Women Global Programme that focuses on increasing girls’ and women’s engagement in urban development and governance through participatory planning and design processes.

"Women experience and use the urban environment in different ways from men; they have different priorities in terms of services and infrastructure, for example regarding transport, housing, and public spaces. Such priorities rarely feature in urban policy or investments - leading to exclusion and lost opportunity for both women and society in general. There needs to be a holistic understanding of how social inequalities are built into cities through an exploration that combines cultural norms, social behaviours, political structures, and the physical space. Therefore, it is very important to incorporate the perceptions, stories, and ideas of women and community members in the city planning."

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Being an urban planner with an architecture background gave Giulia a deeper understanding of how people, politics and social exchange influence space. She finds it highly motivating to work on various projects in different parts of the world.

Women are the key to the future of our cities. Involving women, putting women at the centre, together with the climate change aspect is really the key to our future if we get it right. I’m happy to work on this and see how space and planning can be a tool for women empowerment.

-Giulia Maci

ALUMNI

Research Through our international research, we foster critical thinking and shaping urban theories through collaborations with esteemed partners like the Cities Alliance, the World Bank, and UN-Habitat. Our academic research identifies urban capacity gaps, bridging the divide between research and urban practice.

High-quality research – addressing important and relevant questions and applying rigorous standards for collecting and assessing data – is essential for making wise decisions to guide urban development. - David Dodman At IHS, we engage with many of these critical topics and seek to build understanding not only of individual situations but also of them in a comparative perspective. Questions of governance, economics, planning, infrastructure, housing, sustainability, and climate change are all at the core of our research agenda and will remain critical in the years to come.

Beyond this, research to support urban development needs to take a systemic and integrated approach that recognizes the interconnections between different topics. It needs to appreciate the knowledge and insights of urban residents and incorporate these within broader conceptual and analytical frameworks. It needs to be built up from careful observation and analysis at the local scale while never losing sight of the broader context and relationships that shape cities and urban systems.

The importance of research management

By Lasse Gerrits, Academic Director of IHS IHS focuses on research topics that offer practical recommendations for urban administrations, planners, and NGOs while maintaining scientific relevance. The institute values a multidisciplinary approach that bridges scientific research with realworld applications. Research topics are aligned with IHS departments but may vary based on researchers' expertise and collaboration opportunities, covering areas such as sustainable building materials, frugal innovation scalability, living labs, urban air quality assessment, and successful urban transformations.

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RESEARCH

IHS offers a four-year doctoral programme for individuals with a master's degree aiming to attain a PhD. The programme focuses on developing independent academic researchers who can scientifically position themselves within a specific topic. Participants learn research framing, data collection and analysis, and how to publish in scientific journals. The programme is intense but highly rewarding, fostering individual development and independent learning. With around 25 participants from diverse backgrounds, topics range from community resilience during disasters to policy change effects on planning regimes, creating a vibrant academic community.

IHS embraces the challenge of transdisciplinary research, which involves bridging multiple academic disciplines and addressing real-world issues to provide practical recommendations for global cities.

This approach is more complex but rewarding. While some academics prefer monodisciplinary research due to its safety, IHS, drawing from its extensive experience, recognizes that stable, long-standing networks of various stakeholders, based on trust and shared expertise, are essential for the success of such research, even though there's no one-size-fits-all solution.

We are always looking for opportunities that emerge from the field. Having said that, we also try to set the agenda. This means that we are targeting digital transformations in cities, and as urbanization moves on and cities try to learn from examples elsewhere, we are also targeting structured comparative urbanism. The famous ‘best practices’ are often pitfalls. What works under what conditions differs between places. And often, it is very useful to actually focus on bad practices, too.

-Lasse Gerrits

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RESEARCH

Towards a more climate-resilient Europe SCORE is a four-year EU-funded project aiming to increase climate resilience in European coastal cities. It combines new technologies, such as digital twin prototypes, GIS early warning support systems, citizen science, and low-cost sensing technologies, with adaptation strategies, including ecosystem-based adaptation or nature-based solutions to improve climate change resilience. IHS contributes to coastal living lab design, implementation, and evaluation and the socioeconomic assessment of adaptation strategies.

Decarbonizing cement production: a key strategy for mitigating climate change Cement, the second most consumed product globally after water, contributes between 6 and 8% of CO2 emissions. By 2050, cement production is anticipated to increase by 12-23% largely driven by the Global South, where rapid urbanization is taking place. This growth highlights the importance of decarbonizing cement production as a key strategy for mitigating climate change.

Addressing this, the DETOCS project targets decarbonizing cement production through technical and non-technical means while enhancing the incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) using digitalization and predictive modelling tools. This allows for the production of greener cement without compromising the integrity of the structures in which they are used.

Likewise, DETOCS looks into the nontechnical impacts and factors linked to the widespread adoption and integration of such sustainable solutions, i.e., greener types of cement in the construction industry.

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RESEARCH

Advisory For over four decades, IHS has been offering advisory and research services to various organisations, including governments, NGOs, academic institutions, and international organizations. With a focus on knowledge transfer, IHS aims for sustainable, locally embedded solutions that empower clients to address urban challenges effectively.

Sharing urban knowledge Capacity-building at IHS IHS designs and conducts tailor-made capacity-building training through knowledge sharing. To respond to local problems, IHS conducts a participatory training need assessment and often cooperates with local organisations requesting specific training to support local policies and programmes.

What are we working on?

The institute currently conducts an urban research and collaboration programme in Nairobi in collaboration with the International Institute of Social Studies and the Vital Cities and Citizens initiative within the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Recently, an IHS team of experts conducted a “Technical Workshop on Urban Climate Resilience for Egyptian National and Local Governmental Stakeholders” together with GIZ-Egypt, under the Capacity Building through Urban Infrastructure Development project. The workshop aimed to empower senior governmental officials to address climate change risks while improving social cohesion in vulnerable urban areas.

Other projects address issues like digital inclusion of the urban poor in India, Indonesia, and Kenya, Community resilience in Nairobi, Urban Infrastructure Management in Mozambique, Local Economic Development in Bangladesh, Food security in eThekwini, Urban transformation in Haiti, Environmental Justice in Nigeria, Climate resilience in Colombia, and Bangladesh, and more.

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ADVISORY

Training urban professionals worldwide IHS designs and conducts tailor-made training, both in the Netherlands and abroad. To make training responsive to local problems, IHS conducts a participatory training need assessment and often cooperates with local organisations requesting specific training to support local policies and programmes. This allows course curricula and programmes to be attuned to the local institutional environment.

Colombia

Sudan

Building a sustainable and resilient energy & power sector in Colombia

Realizing the right to adequate housing for all

Themes Resilient Energy, Nature-Based Solutions, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation

Theme Adequate housing

Clients Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) Modality Blended learning: online & in person This training was held for the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the National Hydrocarbons Agency, both entities with a central role in addressing environmental challenges and preventing environmental degradation.

Aligned with the national goals of reducing climate change vulnerability and promoting low-carbon development in the energy and power sector, this training was tailored to build the capacity of ministerial and agency staff and equip them with the knowledge and technical know-how on nature-based solutions and ecosystembased approaches in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Read more

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Client National Fund for Housing and Reconstruction (NFHR) Modality Blended learning: online & in person The National Fund for Housing and Reconstruction (NFHR) is the main housing authority working very closely with the Supreme Council for Urban Development and Planning.

The requested training was held for staff of various institutions: the NFHR, the State Housing and Reconstruction Funds, The University of Khartoum, Red Sea University, the University of Kordofan, The Sudan Urban Development Think Tank and the Supreme Council for Urban Development and Planning.

It helped staff gain a critical understanding of the main principles behind the provision of adequate housing delivery and how to apply these principles in the design, implementation and assessment of housing policies in Sudan.

Read more ADVISORY

Uganda

Nepal

Building climate resilience through sustainable land management and climate-smart agriculture

Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Themes Food and nutrition security

Themes Water, energy and climate

Client Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD), Kampala, Uganda

Client Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN)

Modality Blended learning: online & in person The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is responsible for providing policy direction, national standards and coordination of all matters concerning lands, housing and urban development in Uganda.

Modality Blended learning: online & in person MuAN is the umbrella organization representing the collective interests of all 293 municipalities of Nepal to the central government and the international community.

The training helped develop the capacity of ministerial staff to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts on land management to ensure long-lasting food security in Uganda.

This training enhanced the knowledge, skills, and competencies of municipal staff and elected officials in relation to gender-sensitive and inclusive urban planning, environmental management, disaster risk management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

"We believe this course will take us to the next level in all that we do as a ministry alongside other agencies to have a climateresilient country."

- Sandra Nguna, course participant

“The field observation of Nagdaha Pond allowed me to communicate with local people to thoroughly understand the issues from different sectors.”

-Yugdip Luitel, course participant

Tailor-made Training Uganda

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Tailor-made Training Nepal

ADVISORY

How can cities collaborate with various stakeholders?

By Ore Fika, Senior Specialist in Urban Land and Housing Development at IHS Cites tend to compete with each other in many ways, often driven by the pursuit of social and economic development, and this is often done in a healthy way and often beneficial for the growth of cities.

Even as cities benefit from competition, they benefit more from collaborating with other cities and a spectrum of stakeholders. Cities intrinsically need to collaborate to share various resources, knowledge and expertise just as people, businesses and institutions do.

Collaboration among cities seems to be more urgent with globalisation and as the world battles with climate change, natural disasters and the depletion of resources.

Cities that want to be resilient will collaborate with multiple stakeholders.

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Cities collaborate with different stakeholders in a variety of ways. PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPPs) tend to be more efficient in leveraging resources, saving costs and accessing new technologies and innovations. When cities partner with knowledge centres, it pushes forward research and innovation, data sharing, capacity building (which IHS has carried out around the world for 65 years) and the creation of knowledge hubs. In addition, partnering with communitybased organisations and NGOs enables positive social impact. Collaboration with CBOs and NGOs, cities are better able to address complex social issues enabling inclusive and sustainable development in cities.

KEY ISSUE

Driving forces in urban improvement When cities partner with entrepreneurs to improve urban problems, they benefit from what the nature of entrepreneurs brings to the table. Entrepreneurs tend to be clear on their vision, highly motivated, persistent and adept at problemsolving. When engaged to improve the urban areas, these attributes can benefit the city. This includes critical and analytical thinking, out-of-thebox thinking and seeking innovative solutions to complex urban problems.

Entrepreneurs also benefit from collaborating with local governments as they expand and strengthen their networks, develop their creativity and problem-solving skills and have improved access to financial resources to develop innovative solutions.

It is crucial to note that collaboration with any stakeholder is not an easy task to achieve. It is a complex, painstaking and tedious task that requires a certain level of trust.

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The traits of local governments and entrepreneurs are vastly different, with local governments being more procedural, public service-oriented, and risk-averse. Entrepreneurs tend to be more risk-takers and goalorientated. Working together serves numerous benefits to improving urban areas but also can be time-consuming and uncertain.

“Working at IHS has broadened my horizons. Not just by travelling, but mostly by my colleagues and our students from all over the world: their stories are enriching my life tremendously.”

Remco Vermeulen Specialist in Urban Heritage Strategies “IHS is IHS: dynamic, busy, and great!”

Cocky Adams Course administrator

“Beyond a supportive learning environment and diverse community, IHS has also been instrumental in my personal and professional growth.”

Abbie Arcena Projects and Acquisition Officer “IHS is the place that unites people from various backgrounds to one common goal - making cities work for all.”

Mihaela Kracholova Marketing & Communications Officer

“Working at IHS has been truly enriching, and I feel fortunate to share this space with so many international colleagues.

My wish for IHS is to maintain its dedication to making cities just, sustainable and liveable for all.”

Stefana Cozan Senior Communications Officer, Alumni Relations Manager

"IHS gives me the opportunity to exchange knowledge about cities with people from all over the world. But more than that, I know that no matter where I am on Earth, I always have a friend nearby.”

Laura Quadros Aniche Specialist in Urban Sustainability and Climate Change “To me, IHS is where family-like unity and collective passion shapes cities into a brighter future for all citizens who call them home and find a place to thrive within their urban dreams.”

Laurel Leupe Admissions and Student Affairs Officer “The delicate IHS ship still sails steadily in an ocean of turmoil, shining its bright light on the waves of a rapidly urbanizing world!”

Rene van der Zwet Senior Student Affairs Advisor

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“Discover a place where over 50 nationalities come together each year: IHS, proudly fostering diversity for 65 remarkable years.”

Maria Spyreli Internal Communications “IHS thrives on diversity, bringing together interdisciplinary academics and urban specialists. It fuels a dynamic and occasionally challenging workplace, uniting our institute with a shared mission: to enhance cities as better places to live.”

Paula Nagler Head of Urban Economics and Governance Department

“The dynamic and inclusive atmosphere at IHS is something truly special!”

Katica Kiss Marketing & Communications Officer

“We are a small institute, but we make a big difference in the world.”

Sharon Welsh Information Manager

IHS, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam 31 (10) 408 9825 ihs@ihs.nl www.ihs.nl/en