Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities

After completing my Bachelor's in Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam, I pursued a Master's in Urban Governance. During my undergraduate studies, I realized just how much policy decisions shape our lives, including the physical environments we live in. Given the profound impact our surroundings have on our happiness and well-being, I was drawn to making a difference in this area. The master's programme was a perfect fit for my aspirations.

The programme provides multiple perspectives on urban management and encourages students to develop their own viewpoints. I learned to examine urban issues through various lenses—social, economic, and sustainability—allowing me to deliver more comprehensive and realistic recommendations. This approach is strengthened by the collaboration between the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies. The master's programme also places great emphasis on fieldwork and real-world issues, which meant I often found myself exploring the neighbourhoods we were studying and engaging with actual policymakers. In the Urban Governance Labs, we even provided advice on a live project. Although it was challenging, this hands-on experience prepared me for my career in ways that a traditional classroom setting could not.

Another aspect of the programme  I valued was its focus on personal development. During the Urban Governance Lab, instructors worked with us to set personal development goals, helping me identify my strengths and areas for growth. This experience not only boosted my skills but also prepared me to meet the expectations of future employers.

Today, I work at Rainbow Management, a consultancy firm in the construction and infrastructure sector. In my role, I’ve advised on public participation processes for a car-free city center project, managed stakeholders during maintenance on several tunnels, and explored the use of AI in our field. The Master’s in Urban Governance provided me with the practical skills and insights that have been crucial in my professional journey, and it was an important stepping stone toward a fulfilling career.

After finishing my bachelor degree in Economics, I wanted to follow a master programme where I could combine my interest for public policy, sustainability and economics. The Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities master programme at Erasmus University Rotterdam was the perfect choice - cities face complex social, economic and environmental challenges and studying how those can be tackled requires a multidisciplinary approach, innovative decision-making and implementation.

One of the most interesting features of the programme is that it is a collaboration between Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, which means that students get the opportunity to learn from leading scholars and professionals actively involved in researching and finding solutions for urban challenges. Through the programme students gain knowledge about the latest theoretical developments in the field of urban governance, while also acquiring practical experience and competences through simulations, fieldwork and study trips. During the urban governance labs for example, we worked on various case studies and focused on developing essential personal skills. In addition, the governance lab culminated in a real-life advisory project: we had the opportunity to consult the Utrecht Region which was an exciting and challenging task. I appreciated the opportunity to experience how advisory work is done and to meet and talk to urban professionals. Another important aspect of the programme which I value highly is the variety of course assignments that touch upon different disciplines, thus creating the opportunity to familiarize with the most relevant topics in urban governance from different perspectives. The fact that I studied together with people with diverse backgrounds and nationalities made the whole experience even more interesting and enriching.

Finally, I believe that there is no better place to learn about innovative governance approaches for tackling complex urban issues than the Netherlands, and especially the city of Rotterdam, which is often used as a source of inspiration by other cities with regards to novel social and environmental policies, and actions for promoting the circular economy.

After my bachelor in Public Administration and Organisational Sciences in Utrecht I was looking for a master that focused more on resolving concrete societal issues. In my view, the most urgent societal challenges occur in cities: dealing with climate change, smoothing urban mobility and the digital transformation to smart, inclusive cities. Therefore, I decided to follow the Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities master at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

The master started as a collaboration between the Institute of Housing and Development Studies (IHS) and the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) and therefore combines both insights from urban management practices all around the world as well as from the newest publications in the field of public administration. This way, I not only learnt what the dynamics are behind the most important challenges in cities nowadays, but also how to deal with these problems from a governance perspective. During classes, papers and the individual thesis, there is a lot of free space to zoom in on the topics of your interest. This led to the fact that I was able to write on smart city concepts, the use of urban big data and smart mobility practices.

There is also the possibility to follow an internship as part of the final thesis. However, this is something you should pro-actively search for as it is not something that is facilitated by the programme. I personally have been interning at the municipality of Rotterdam in the team ‘the digital city’.

One of the main characteristics of the master is that a lot of the papers and projects are concentrated on group work. Therefore, it is essential that you like to collaborate with others and that you are a team player. In the near future, I see myself working at a major Dutch city to solve urgent societal problems or as a consultant trying to advice cities around the world to foster their urban development. Despite the fact that it was the first year that this masters was up and running and there are still a few kinks that need to be worked out, I would certainly recommend to apply for this master!

After finishing my bachelor’s in Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam, I decided to follow the master Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities. The main reason to apply for this master was the fact that it combines two topics I am interested in: urban development and governance. How do cities develop? And how can these developments best be governed? Growing up in Rotterdam, I have seen many challenges that the city faces and I want to become part of the solution. In addition, the programme is offered by Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies. This offers you the opportunity to gain knowledge from two worlds!

Now that I have followed the master’s programme for almost nine months, I can say that I definitely made the right choice. Especially interesting are the different fields you will learn about, for instance, urban economics, spatiality and interactive forms of governance. Furthermore, the study offers a more theoretical as well as a more practical side. That makes that you not only have to learn theories from the books, but you will also get the opportunity to actually use these skills. Finally, I personally consider the international environment also to be an advantage. Because of this, you get a broad perspective and get to apply your knowledge also to other cities, for example, the ones your fellow students are from. And, not to forget, it is fun to get to know new cultures and people!

It might be the first year the master programme is running, but it definitely does not feel like that. All teachers – and students – are excited and more than willing to share their knowledge. If you are interested in cities, urban development and governance: I can assure you that this is the right master track for you!