Architecture and the Built Environment

General faculty information

As one of the largest architecture faculties in Europe and leading design academy, the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment plays a key role in ‘design-oriented research’. The faculty offers not only leading bachelor, master and postgraduate education in the field of architecture, but also in areas such as landscape architecture, housing, building physics and climate design and sustainability. Within the Department of Urbanism, operating within a broader context of environmental, climate, socio-cultural, demographic, technological and economic change, research focuses on the interaction between people, places and plans.

What is your research focus regarding (the governance of) migration and diversity?

Research is focused on a better understanding of how neighbourhoods, cities and regions develop, and how different spatial configurations and structures emerge (in and between cities), and how these configurations affect socio-economic outcomes for people across spatial scales. The multi-level interaction between people and places is central.

Migration and diversity are important factors in the urban context that affects individuals and their lives, and how people influence the socio-spatial structures around them.

What are your educational programmes on governance, migration and diversity?

Urbanism hosts its own master track within the overall Master or Architecture, Urbanism and the Building Sciences. As part of the LDE master Governance of Migration & Diversity, a master course “Social Inequality in the City, Diversity and Design” is offered. The themes governance, migration and diversity regularly feature in various Graduation Labs, such as Planning Complex Cities. In addition, the Department hosts a minor program on “Cities, Migration and Socio-Spatial Inequality”.

What do you do on societal impact regarding (the governance of) migration and diversity?

There is a strong societal impact orientation in the work of the faculty. Many design efforts have a real-life impact by definition, and part of the design and research is geared towards optimising building and governance processes in practice. There is an increasingly strong link between research, teaching and design in the Department, developing strong connections with policy and practice partners and, more recently, seeking community engagement in education as well.

The faculty has a vibrant academic exchange culture, with public lectures and seminars hosted by various groups.

Role within and contribution to the LDE Centre GMD

The Department of Urbanism (particularly the Urban Studies research group) is the leading partner representing the TU Delft contribution to the LDE Centre. It brings a specific research focus on the spatial and design implications of social inequality, migration and diversity to the LDE Centre.