Research Priority Area

The Centre for Urban Studies is one of 15 designated Research Priority Areas of the University of Amsterdam. It brings together urban scholars in sociology, geography, planning, political science, economics, development studies and other disciplines in one multidisciplinary program. The Centre is part of the AISSR, the Amsterdam Institute of Social Sciences Research of the University.

Urban research

The Centre is directed by Prof. dr. Jan Nijman with the support of an Advisory Board consisting of the leaders of the constituent research groups and one external member (the director of the Netherlands’ Planning Agency for Environmental Issues). Today the Centre includes some 30 researchers and more than 40 PhD students. The Centre supports existing urban research programs and stimulates interdisciplinary collaborative projects.

 Key research themes include:

• the impact of globalization on urban societies;
• the role of diversity in the social and economic functioning of cities;
• the dynamics of stratification, citizenship, and identity in urban contexts;
• the links between global economic trends and individual urban economies;
• the spatial order of cities;
• comparative approaches in urban studies;
• the effects of the social and built environment and urban planning on life chances;
• management and governance of cities.

Education

Furthermore, the Centre maintains curricular programs at the undergraduate and graduate level and stimulates PhD research. The undergraduate Minor in Urban Studies is available to all students across the University from 2012-2013; the Research Master in Urban Studies is a highly selective 2-year program whose primary aim is to prepare students for entry into PhD positions.

Cooperation

The Centre aims to work closely with academic and non-academic partners. It has developed a variety of institutional relations with other leading institutions and has been succesful in strenghtening international networks through numerous visitorships. The visiting professors provide lecturers and masterclasses and work in close cooperation with the Urban Studies Research Staff on ongoing and new research projects.