History of Architecture and Town planning

The course positions the evolution of the European city (including the post-socialist cities in Central and Eastern Europe) as intimately linked with trends and tendencies at the global scale. The input of the Thomassen a Thuessink Chair results in a clear focus on the health effects of the built environment and the phenomena summarized in the healthy cities concept (ranging from yesterday's hygienic measures to tomorrows urban guerilla gardening campaigns)

• In Groningen, the history and theory of architecture and urbanism is taught within the context of social, economic, cultural and philosophical phenomena and geared towards active participation of the students in the discourse on global urban tendencies. Embedded in a classical art historical context, this so-called 'Groningen school' expands the envelope of it scientific explorations and targets planners and policy makers as well as historians and art historians.
• Past, present and future are seen as a continuum, the historian's expertise and research tools as constituting a methodology that is applicable throughout this continuum, its essence being the conviction that man-made changes should always be attributed to those responsible for them.
• Groningen University promotes cooperation with universities and institutions in the Netherlands and abroad: Delft University of Technology, Gent University of Technology, Berlin University of Technology, ETH Zürich, Erasmus University Rotterdam, International New Town Institute and others.
• The Master's track offers possibilities for students to take part of the courses at other universities
• The city of Groningen is well-known for being the liveliest student city in the Netherlands, with an ever-growing international student population.

'Origins of the Healthy City' examines the relation between healthy cities and urban policies. In 'Research Laboratory and Excursion' students will do research into a specific European city (Prague, Berlin) and present this during an excursion. 'Global Tendencies vs. Local Identities' studies the effects on city design, and the tension between global trends and local identities. 'Typological Exercises' presents a critical overview of thoughts on function (type) and thoughts on form and style.

Students are encouraged to spend at least one half semester abroad to complement their personal curriculum; especially the 2d semester offers ample opportunities to opt for study, research or internship at a foreign university or institution, thanks to our international network en exchange contracts (Germany, Belgium, Colombia, Poland, Hongaria etc). Recently we started working together with International New Town Institute, offering our students exchange projects in China and Kenia.

The master's track opens a myriad of career opportunities, in the Netherlands and abroad, as has been proved over the years. Graduates from our programme can be found in for instance:

The research of the Expertise Center reflects its roots in the history and theory of architecture and urbanism: it focuses on architectural and urban objects, their cultural values, and their performance (specifically in terms of health impacts). Topics range from urban biographies to designers' monographs, from building typologies to the issues at stake when modifying cultural heritage, from the morphology of post-war housing estates to the use and reuse of public space.