The city is a living organism. Policy plans, citizen initiatives, economic interests and inner worlds all intersect there. That is what Fenna van Marle and Florian Goldschmeding discovered when, as embedded researchers, they swapped their university offices for desks inside city government. ''Urban policy sounds technical and rational. But it’s brimming with emotion.''
''You only really understand urban policy by sitting at the table yourself—not for an afternoon, but day in, day out,'' says psychologist and criminologist Fenna van Marle, reflecting on her two-year postdoc with the National Programme for Rotterdam South (NPRZ). She barely saw her office at Erasmus University during that time.
''I was usually at the NPRZ office, attending board meetings and talking to policymakers and neighbourhood partners. In between I’d race back to campus to supervise graduates, because as an embedded researcher you still have teaching duties.''
Knowledge you can’t get any other way
Embedded research—where scholars immerse themselves for an extended period in the organisations or systems they study—yields unique insights. ''Rotterdam and other cities face complex problems: poverty, climate, housing shortages, inequality,'' says Van Marle.
''By working from the inside, you learn the internal logic of urban policy. That creates the connection and the room to have real conversations about it. That’s hugely valuable. Researchers still too often comment from the outside with advice that doesn’t fit that logic at all. It mainly breeds distance and resistance. Once you place yourself outside the university as well, you suddenly see that very clearly.''
Policy isn’t purely rational
Every policy decision is influenced by emotions, values and interests, Van Marle argues. ''And those can collide in the pressure cooker of urban governance. Politics tends to want quick results, while neighbourhoods benefit from long-term investment. Residents and funders often have different priorities. These aren’t simple binaries but layered tensions.''
Florian Goldschmeding—researcher in Governance & Pluralism and theme lead for ''City'' at the Resilient Delta initiative—recognises this. As an embedded researcher at the Limburg water authority, he saw how agriculture, nature, safety and costs constantly rub up against one another. ''Farmers, environmental groups, residents: everyone has a different idea of what 'good' policy looks like. By truly joining in, you discover just how complex those tensions are.''
''Systems and structures don’t change from the sidelines—they change from within''
Fenna van Marle
Researcher
Behind the numbers
Policy isn’t only about numbers; it’s just as much about trust, identity and emotion. ''Behind every policy debate are concerns about the future, bonds with a place, attachment to traditions, or wanting the best for your children,'' Goldschmeding says. ''That’s what makes urban policy so complicated.''
Van Marle: ''Our brains want to reduce complexity, but real change requires you to tolerate that tension and work with it. That’s exactly what we try to do.'' Embedded research takes time and energy, she stresses, but the insights are indispensable.
Goldschmeding: ''It gives you knowledge you won’t find in any dataset. Systems and structures don’t change from the sidelines—they change from within.''
Pioneering practice-based research
Universities of applied sciences are ahead on this, Van Marle notes. ''HBO students are expected to do placements; lecturers have close ties with the field. Practice-based research is second nature there. Universities could learn a lot from that.''
Goldschmeding adds: ''At the university, publication counts still dominate. Yet you learn so much by literally going into the city and shadowing policymakers, frontline workers and residents. Give scholars that space, because that’s how they can truly contribute to a resilient, liveable city.''
Want to learn more, think along and join the conversation? Sign up for STAD/STRAKS on 25 September 2025. This inspiring afternoon, organized by the Resilient Delta initiative, brings researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, citizens and other stakeholders together around urgent urban questions—from climate and health to work, justice and the design of our living environment.
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For more information or questions, you can contact Laura van Gelder via laura.vangelder@eur.nl.
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