*Celebrating Spatial Planning at TU Delft: 2008-2019. Edited by Stead, Bracken, Rooij & Rocco

Urbanism . TU Delft 83
Bachelor Minor
Interdisciplinary Vision and Strategy Making
REMON ROOIJ & QU LEI
Since the early
2010s, the SPS Section
has contributed
to the Department of
Urbanism’s minor programmes
with studios
focusing on interdisciplinary
vision and strategy-making
for the city
district of Rotterdam
Zuid, on the one hand,
and with courses focusing
on the review of
literature connected to
the studio work, on the
other. The minor programmes
were named
“Neighbourhood of the
Future – Green Blue
Cities”, “Delta Urbanism”
(in Dutch: “Stedenbouw
in de Delta”), and “Liveable
Housing Districts”
(in Dutch: “Sociaal
Duurzame Wijk”). On numerous
occasions there
was strong co-operation
with the Rotterdam Field Academy
(www.veldacademie.nl), who acted
as our “client” from Rotterdam’s
urban regeneration practice.
The Urbanism Department has
always successfully aimed at attracting
undergraduate students
with different disciplinary and
cultural backgrounds; students
come from architecture, urban design,
landscape architecture, delta
management, planning, geography,
management, civil engineering,
industrial design engineering, to
name but a few. In the studios led
by SPS staff, teams of four to five
students have to analyse complex
urban contexts in an interdisciplinary
way (from spatial, ecological,
functional, social, economic,
political perspectives) in order to
synthesise, develop, and support
Fig. 49: Group work example from the Minor “Neighbourhood of the Future”, class 2018. Authors: Veerle Merk,
Victor Müller, Joep Biemond, Christiaan Hanse, Joost Trommelen, Paula Nooteboom.
a vision statement. These statements
are explored and elaborated
via designs and strategies:
a spatial vision, strategic project
interventions, a timeline, a stakeholder
assessment, and spatial
policies.
For many students our exercises
are eye-opening learning experiences.
An exchange student
from Australia, who did the Minor
“Neighbourhood of the Future” in
2018, wrote in his farewell email,
“I would like to say that I have
thoroughly enjoyed my time in the
course and at TU Delft, so much so
that I will be looking to study my
masters with the school”. For the
students from “outside architecture”,
visual design thinking is new.
For almost all undergraduates,
thinking strategically is new, and
working in interdisciplinary teams
is quite a challenge, too. Understanding
other disciplinary and
cultural backgrounds can bring
unexpected synergies among student
teams (and establish friendships
for life). As SPS teaching
staff, we always try to pay careful
attention to both product and
process, both professionally and
personally.
All TU Delft undergraduate students
have a one-semester, 30EC
minor programme. They can
choose from several options:
Delft minors, minor programmes
from other Dutch universities, an
internship, or studying abroad.
Students from other national
and international undergraduate
programmes can also select Delft
minor programmes.