Students are important for Rotterdam’s dynamics, look and economic resilience and also contribute to developing a strong socio-economic and socio-cultural climate. The Municipality of Rotterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and various other parties recently signed the Rotterdam student housing agreement 2020-2025, which aims to help students find affordable rooms more quickly.
Rotterdam is the Netherlands’ second city in terms of numbers of degree students. Students and graduates help make the city an attractive place to live. Being an attractive city in which to live is also a big consideration for both Dutch and international students in choosing where to study. Furthermore, the presence of good educational institutions is an important reason for companies and individuals to choose Rotterdam as a base.
The following was stated in the Rotterdam Coalition Agreement 2018-2022: ‘Young talent must be able to come to live and stay living in Rotterdam. We are working together with Universities, Universities of Applied Sciences and student housing organisations to realise 2,000 additional permanent, temporary and mobile student rooms.
Agreement
The Rotterdam student housing agreement 2020-2025 between the Municipality of Rotterdam, various housing corporations, stakeholders and educational institutions, including EUR, is a joint approach to the further expansion of Rotterdam as an attractive city for students to live. The parties involved in the agreement are working to prevent malpractice in the student housing market, including excessively high rent, discrimination, poor maintenance and unsafe housing. The agreement aims to meet both the short-term need for student housing and the housing needs up to 2030.
“Students are important for our city’s dynamics and cultural climate. We’d also like graduates to stay living in Rotterdam. We can only achieve this by working together with education and student housing agencies to ensure that there is a good and affordable range of housing for students and graduates,” stated Bas Kurvers, Alderman Building and Housing.
An important point in the agreement is the structural participation of students, with EUR’s University Council student member Florian Wijker signing on behalf of students.
Tower block on campus Woudestein
The municipality aims to make concrete agreements with parties about affordable student rooms and to inform new-build project developers about these agreements. For instance, more space needs to be made for students in Rijnhaven and Schiekadeblok.
Various plans are also being prepared for new housing complexes. 150 rooms will be realised on Rochussenstraat, and a new apartment block on campus Woudestein will accommodate up to 400 students. 250 and 150 students, respectively, will be accommodated in Brainpark and on Hoofdweg in Prins Alexander. The existing De Snor complex on Kralingse Kerklaan is also being expanded.