At the beginning of April, the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) celebrated the official launch of its new five-year strategy, "Shaping a better urban world". This forward-looking roadmap marks a bold step in IHS’s commitment to creating inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities through education, research, and advisory services.
The launch event gathered partners, staff, alumni, and friends from across the IHS network and the international urban development community. It served as both a celebration and a call to action for urban professionals and change-makers worldwide.
A strategy for complex times
In his keynote speech, General Director David Dodman spoke about the challenges urban institutions face today—from shifting political climates and shrinking trust in multilateral institutions to persistent urban crises like poverty, climate change, and inequality.
Despite these challenges, he emphasised that “cities are where the future happens,” and that planning, governance, and policy at the urban scale are more critical than ever. Dodman outlined the four strategic direction areas:
- Impact: creating transformative, systemic change at individual and institutional levels.
- Transdisciplinarity: bridging disciplines and sectors to address complex urban issues.
- Positioning & Partnerships: critically reflecting on IHS’s global role and nurturing equitable collaborations.
- Internal Culture & Organisation: fostering a supportive, inclusive, and professional work environment.
“This strategy is rooted in our core vision: cities that are liveable, just, and sustainable—and our mission to empower urban professionals and citizens to make cities work for all,” he said.
From strategy to action
The panel discussion—From Strategy to Action: Impact, Transdisciplinary approaches and Strategic partnerships—was moderated by Dr Pamela Durán Díaz and brought together three urban experts connected to IHS: Arwin van Buuren, Beatrice Hati, and Giulia Maci.
Societal impact through education
As Professor of Public Administration and Strategic Lead on Impact and Engagement at Erasmus University, Prof Arwin van Buuren lauded IHS for its concrete and ambitious definition of impact: measurable, meaningful, and transformative outcomes. He emphasised that truly impactful education requires engagement—not only with knowledge but also with real-world challenges.
“You cannot sit in an ivory tower and expect your knowledge to transform society. You have to engage with the complexity of everyday practice,” he said.
Van Buuren supported IHS’s applied approach, particularly the Urban Governance Lab and its work with the City of Rotterdam, as a prime example of embedding students in real-time policy challenges. He called on IHS to continue enhancing its “engaged education” model.
Transdisciplinarity in a hyper-dynamic world
Beatrice Hati, IHS alumna and Research Associate at the International Centre for Frugal Innovation (ICFI), brought a powerful message: that transdisciplinarity is not just about working across disciplines—it’s about embracing diverse forms of knowledge, especially those rooted in lived experience.
“We are in an era of hyper-dynamic change,” she noted, pointing to simultaneous shifts in technology, politics, and social structures. She encouraged the audience to move beyond conventional actors—such as governments, NGOs, and academia—and embrace less traditional yet crucial voices: grassroots organisers, youth, people with disabilities, and even content creators.
Her standout contribution was the story of the Mathare Special Planning Area Research Collective in Kenya—a community-driven research project co-led by IHS and local actors. As part of this initiative, community members developed their own ethics and research protocol, dubbed the “10 Commandments of Community-Based Participatory Research.” These guidelines include co-designing research, mutual consent, data confidentiality, and collaborative dissemination.
“If you want impact and communities are not at the center of the process, you’re doing nothing.”
Beatrice Hati
Partnerships that deliver on the ground
Giulia Maci, IHS alumna and Urban Specialist at Cities Alliance, spoke about the vital role of strategic partnerships in responding to the world’s interconnected urban crises. “Technical expertise is not enough,” she said. “We need creativity, reflection, and collaboration.”
She emphasised that partnerships—when done right—can amplify local voices and scale up effective solutions. Through examples in Tunisia, Morocco, and Mozambique, she described how gender-sensitive urban planning was implemented through local partnerships, training programmes, and hands-on support to municipalities.
But she also highlighted the challenges: lack of capacity and resources at the local government level, and the urgent need to match global funding streams with on-the-ground realities.
“Cities often want to act, but they need the tools and support to do it,” she said.
Maci also called for leveraging IHS’s alumni network and data capabilities to support long-term learning and policy innovation: “You have great resources, but they can go further in shifting development narratives and ensuring local impacts.”
Stories, art & looking ahead
The strategy launch went beyond presentations. A short documentary trailer, "We Too Urban", co-produced by IHS and Anna University, brought community stories to life—centering the voices of women navigating urban change in the outskirts of Chennai.
Visual artist Menah Wellen captured the essence of the event through real-time visual notes, translating discussions and topics into an engaging visual record.
The afternoon wrapped up with breakout sessions focused on the three strategic themes—Impact, Transdisciplinarity, and Partnerships—led by IHS academic staff Maartje van Eerd, Alonso Ayala, Charmae Pyl Nercua and Anthony Boanada-Fuchs. Participants engaged in hands-on discussions, exploring practical ways to embed the strategy into ongoing work and collaborate in the future.
The event offered a moment not only to celebrate but also to reflect. While speakers acknowledged the complexity and urgency of global urban challenges, they also expressed optimism. As IHS embarks on this new chapter, the message is clear: the strategy is not just a roadmap—it’s a living invitation to co-create better urban futures, together.
