Why this programme

Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities

What does this study entail?

This social sciences master track is part of the Master of Science in Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam. What makes this track truly unique is its partnership between the Department of Public Administration at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) and the renowned Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS). Together, they combine deep expertise in public administration, urban policy, and governance with cutting-edge knowledge of urban planning and development.

Is this the right programme for you?

Cities are vibrant, ever-changing hubs that drive economic growth and shape cultural, social and political transformations. Already home to more than half of the world's population - and projected to reach nearly 70% by 2050 - cities face urgent and complex challenges: sustainability, poverty, inequality, housing shortages, migration and rapid urban growth. At the same time, they hold the key to creating more sustainable and inclusive societies.

Testimonials

Testimonial Ingmar van Meerkerk

Ingmar van Meerkerk - Programme Coordinator Master Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities

This master's programme offers an opportunity to become a real urban change maker, developing innovative and inclusive urban policies, strategies, and the necessary skills to address the urgent societal issues of our time.
This master's programme offers an opportunity to become a real urban change maker, developing innovative and inclusive urban policies, strategies, and the necessary skills to address the urgent societal issues of our time.

The specialisation is offered by leading academics and policy advisers. It has a coherent structure and clear focus on managing dynamic urban governance networks, going deeper into the complexity of urban issues as well as developing the skills and strategies to manage these. 

Anna Steinbrucker

Anna Steinbrucker - Student Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities

We had the opportunity to work on a real-life consultancy case for the municipality of Breda, collaborating with the urban professionals in the field.
We had the opportunity to work on a real-life consultancy case for the municipality of Breda, collaborating with the urban professionals in the field.

The Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities programme consists of a set of courses that complement each other very well. And jointly provide a well-structured and extensive insight into the complexity of urban challenges as well as potential approaches for tackling them. The courses build very well on each other in my opinion, and block for block we were able to build on and expand our theoretical knowledge as well as gain some practical experiences in the form of different (group) projects. As part of the Urban Governance Lab for instance, we had the opportunity to work on a real-life consultancy case for the municipality of Breda, collaborating with the urban professionals in the field, providing us with ample opportunities to enhance both our hard and soft skills.

Also, I consider the composition of the team of lecturers, made of scholars and professionals from Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, as a strong suit of this programme as it makes for a unique and compelling combination of theoretical insights and practical expertise.

Finally, it was intriguing to get to know people from different parts of the world. And gain an understanding of how theories of public administration and urban governance, in general, are applied and play out in varying national and local contexts. Discussing takeaways and coming up with new ideas together to combine different sources of knowledge, when approaching urban governance issues.

Clarisse de Cerjat

Clarisse de Cerjat - Alumna Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities

The courses that constitute this master build up on a critical reflection of today’s public administrations and lay down innovative ways of dealing with urban problems.
Clarisse de Cerjat - Student Urban Governance
The courses that constitute this master build up on a critical reflection of today’s public administrations and lay down innovative ways of dealing with urban problems.

I have grown a strong interest in regional and urban development throughout my previous studies of European Studies at Maastricht University. It has been interesting to see how the EU can contribute to the development of regional and urban areas. Nonetheless, I felt the need to understand the other side as cities are facing various complex issues nowadays and I believe that the EU is not the only one that can contribute to solve those wicked problems. Indeed, cities are expected to have to deal with an important amount of problems linked to the worrying increase in population density (e.g. pollution, gentrification, maintenance, data privacy, etc.). Accordingly, this programme was the perfect opportunity to gain insights from various concepts related to urban governance, urban policy, as well as urban management. Therefore, I decided to apply to the Master of Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

This master combines the expertise of professionals from the Institute of Housing and Development Studies (IHS) as well as from the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). As a result, students gain significant knowledge from experts in the fields of public administrations and urban management. Moreover, you might want to look into this programme if you are interested in understanding how multiple actors in urban areas (i.e. governments, businesses, citizens, etc.) organize themselves around dealing with certain matters – such as climate adaption, urban renewal, smart cities. The courses that constitute this master build up on a critical reflection of today’s public administrations and lay down innovative ways of dealing with urban problems.

Moreover, this master has been taught in such a way that it stimulates your personal growth by giving you the means to work on your professional skills. Thus, I highly recommend this programme for the people that like to think out of the box or are open to being challenged. Without any doubts, each of the projects I worked on during this year have expected from us to be focused, critical, collaborative, and creative. As a result, I have gained much more confidence due to all these exercises and therefore I strongly believe that this master can make you become a great policy advisor.

On a final note, being a Swiss and French national living in Rotterdam, I believe that I have learned from the best. This programme has not only allowed me to know where I want to see myself in the near future, but also to be well-versed in the studied fields. At the beginning of the year, I was afraid that the programme would focus too much on Dutch cases. Nevertheless, the projects provided to be quite various in terms of locality (e.g. Boston, Berlin, North-Rhine Westphalia, etc.). Moreover, the fact that I was quite free to choose on the cities while writing papers and the thesis was a great exercise to apply the existing knowledge concerning urban governance coming from the Netherlands. To conclude this section, I recommend anyone that shows an interest in urban governance to apply for this master.

Clarisse de Cerjat - Student Urban Governance

Enoch Tabak

Enoch Tabak - Alumnus Urban Governance

The Master of Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities programme strikes a great balance between providing insights through latest Urban Governance theory and letting us dive into practice, for example through the Urban Governance Lab!
Enoch Barcop testimonial
The Master of Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities programme strikes a great balance between providing insights through latest Urban Governance theory and letting us dive into practice, for example through the Urban Governance Lab!

Enoch Tabak is an alumnus of the Master of Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities programme. What he liked most about the programme was: "The Master of Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities programme strikes a great balance between providing insights through the latest urban governance theory and letting us dive into practice, for example through the Urban Governance Lab!".

In addition, he mentioned why doing this programme in Rotterdam was of added value: "Embedded in the city of Rotterdam, itself a more and more vocal actor in international city networks, the programme offered me ample opportunity to make connections and tap into synergies with other projects and initiatives."

Enoch Barcop testimonial

Sing up for a series of informative emails!

Learn about the programme, the lecturers, career opportunities, Rotterdam and more.

Two people sitting on a wall in Rotterdam

Meeting these challenges requires skilled professionals who can think beyond traditional governance. Cities need experts who can design and implement innovative policies, work across boundaries, engage and empower local communities, and bring together diverse actors from the public, private and social sectors. Experts who understand how to create just solutions to land use, environmental pressures and social divides—driving sustainable and inclusive urban development at both local and global levels.

In the MSc in Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities, you will explore this new way of governing cities. You’ll gain in-depth insights from public administration, political science, sociology, urban economy and urban planning. You’ll learn to analyse urban governance challenges and develop the skills to design and manage processes that bring stakeholders together to create real, lasting impact. Through practical labs, research projects and fieldwork, you will be prepared to become a changemaker who helps shape the cities of tomorrow.

Why choose this programme?    

  • Earn your MSc from a top 100 university and benefit from the expertise of two leading partners. The Department of Public Administration ranks #1 worldwide in the 2024 Shanghai Academic Ranking for Public Administration. IHS has over 60 years of experience educating and training local and national government officials.
  • Learn from renowned scholars and experienced urban policy professionals who bring real-world insights into the classroom.
  • Put your knowledge into action in our interactive Urban Governance Labs, where you’ll tackle real-life urban governance challenges and design practical solutions.
  • Build your professional network and prepare for your future career through project work and field visits to key local stakeholders like the Municipality of Rotterdam.
  • Gain in-depth knowledge of current trends and innovative approaches in urban governance, including circular economy, placemaking, co-creation, and community-led urban development.
  • Broaden your perspective with international case studies, a diverse student body, and teaching staff from around the globe.
  • Explore the world further with exchange opportunities at top partner universities across Europe.

Rankings

#1 worldwide for Public Administration in 2024
Shanghai rankings

#5 worldwide for Planning and Development
Center for University Ranking (CWUR)

Students collaborating with the municipality of Alkmaar 

The municipality of Alkmaar regularly collaborates with universities and colleges for knowledge exchange. The Alkmaar Canal programme has started a joint track together with students from the Urban Governance of Inclusive Sustainable Cities master programme.

Students think along for the Alkmaar Canal Programme

Alkmaar Canal Programme: Findings

Choosing a study is quite a challenge! Still in doubt about this study and want to have a good overview? Receive a clear digital brochure for this study.

Request brochure
Not sure yet about your choice? Request a brochure!

Compare @count study programme

  • @title

    • Duration: @duration
Compare study programmes