Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies

Geschiedenis

The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies is an international institute on urban management and housing at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, based in the Netherlands. IHS was founded in 1958. It offers post graduate education and training, advisory services and applied research in the field of urban management, housing and urban planning.HistoryIn 1958 Jan van Ettinger Snr., managing director of the Rotterdam-based Bouwcentrum that had been set up to rebuild Rotterdam after the war, established the first International Course on Building (ICB). The objective was to acquaint planners, engineers and architects from developing countries with systematic methods to meet building requirements. In June 1972 ICB's educational activities were transferred to Bouwcentrum International Education (BIE), which remained located in the round building in the heart of Rotterdam. In addition to the standard course available, more and more specialised courses were added to the teaching programme, aimed at mid-career professionals.In 1982 the BIE changed its name to the Institute for Housing Studies (IHS). The institute redesigned its courses to promote the development of skills to solve problems in their local context. In 1990 the name changed once more to the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, but the acronym IHS remained. At the same time the institute began linking its short courses to a new Master's programme entitled Urban Management. This programme was a collaboration with the Economic Faculty of the Erasmus University Rotterdam and was later replaced by the present Master's Urban Management and Development (UMD). The Master's programme was re-designed as a one-year Master's degree with six specializations.

"The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies IHS is an education, advisory and research institute of Erasmus University Rotterdam. For 60 years, it has been our mission to develop human and institutional capacities, to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life in cities."