Social Sciences
Course

The Regenerative City

Regenerative Development in Place, Society and Self

€450

Specifications

-
Course Level
Master
ECTS credits
2 ECTS
Course location(s)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Utrecht, The Netherlands

Description

Learn regenerative approaches to the development of place, society and self by working with and from the (bio)region west of Amsterdam and take part in community life at the urban farm estate. You will work with pioneers in this emerging field, get to know the deeper underpinnings of regenerative practice, and are invited to hands on practice. 

Regeneration is quickly becoming a trend in farming, finance, ecology, urban development, spiritual ecology and social change. For places and living (eco)systems to thrive they need the capacity to regenerate, adapt to change, and be alive in the broadest sense of the word. But how do we ‘do’ regeneration at the scale of landscapes, place, ourselves, communities and systems? This course takes 'place' as the starting point of inquiry, reflection and practice. Its unique character, nature, dynamics and patterns as well as its stories, communities and potential. At once practical and philosophical, hands-on and deepening as the landscapes we inhabit mirror the inner landscapes from which we shape them.

This programme is offered by the Honours College, EWUU Alliance, and Academy of Place.

How would we develop our cities and countryside such that they support all life? That question guides our action research in the ecological corridor of the Amsterdam Wester Scheg that bridges urban life and countryside between Amsterdam and the North sea. It is home to some of the lowest polders in the Netherlands, has the largest diversity of species and cultures, and has the last fertile soil of the city. Many of the great challenges of the city come together in this place. The food transition, land enclosure, climate adaptation, disadvantaged communities, to name but a few. Meanwhile the city densifies, data- and distributions centres sprawl through the land, and families and farmers are trying to find ways to make ends meet.

Building local capacity for renewal and vitality go hand in hand with the need to navigate the increasing pressures of the global market, climate change, or social inequality. What practices do we have at our disposal to navigate these pressures and develop life affirming interventions? How do we make sense of place in its different dimensions and dynamics? What is our role and place in such complex and large challenges?

This course gives you an approach to regenerative practice, provides the tools and frameworks for place-connected work as a means to regenerate and heal our relationship to the land, ourselves and community. 

We will be weaving connections between stakeholders, deepening our understanding of place, and strengthening our community & personal leadership.

Co-development

  • You are invited to take a role in leading certain activities in the course. As a community of practice we share the space of learning, and this participatory form of learning creates immediate experience in the work of regenerative practice. Working in community allows the programme to embody principles and practices that are essential in Regenerative Development.

Experience-Based Learning

  • Our approach is rooted in hands-on, place and project-based learning. We will work on places, projects and initiatives brought in by you, the participants, allowing for an integration of theory and practice that resonates with your reality. This approach also creates a rich learning environment where insights from diverse projects illuminate universal principles of regenerative development.

Why Should You Attend?

  • The Regenerative City offers an opportunity to contribute to the creation of more resilient, sustainable, and vibrant regions and communities. This course not only offers the chance to network and collaborate with like-minded students and professionals but also provides valuable resources and tools to aid in your professional journey.

Day to Day Documents

PROGRAM THE REGENERATIVE CITY.docx

Lecturers

Dr. Thieu Besselink

Thieu Besselink is a lecturer and practitioner of regenerative development. 

Thieu Besselink is an urbanist, educator, and practical philosopher with a thoroughly interdisciplinary background. He has always worked on the crossroads between academia and practice in regenerative development. After his PhD with prof. Richard Sennett at the LSE and European University Institute he founded the Townmaking Institute (R&D for urban commons) and Academy of Place to develop approaches to bioregional regeneration, transformative learning, and ecology of mind. 

Selected faculty will consist of experts and pioneering practitioners in the field of landscape regeneration, governance and finance, film and story-telling, urban farming, and more.

 

Target audience

The course will be valuable for all levels of study as we use mainly experiential learning and frameworks that allow for both introductory and advanced work. It is a pre to have affinity with place-based development, agroecology, or sustainability in landscapes, communities, and cities, but the course transcends disciplines so all backgrounds are welcome.

  • Advanced bachelors
  • Master students
  • PhD
  • Postdoc 

Aim of the course

Objectives

  • Know what makes a place or region flourish and where to start;
  • Have greater awareness of the relationship between our inner landscape and the landscapes in which we live.
  • Have a foundational understanding of frameworks and approaches to regenerative development;
  • Know how to identify the right scale for intervention and regeneration (site, community, place, (bio)region);
  • Have a range of ways to understand a place and what it needs.
  • Ways how to understand the complex social, economic, ecological and cultural dynamics of place as a whole
  • Know how to leverage the assets of place for its regeneration
  • Have developed practices for personal and community leadership in regenerative work
  • Learn to navigate the tensions caused by the large societal challenges and transitions (in energy, food, water, inequality, ecology etc), both in our own lives and in the unique context of a place
  • Have worked with experienced (bio)regional regeneration practitioners;
  • Have learned from the experience of a cooperative science, art, and urban farming community and its regional stakeholders in the Amsterdam polders;
  • Have become part of a living community of practice.

Study load

Fulltime including some of the evenings.

Costs

  • Course fee: €450.00
  • Included: Course + course materials + lunch
  • Housing fee: €200
  • Housing provider: Utrecht Summer School

  • The fee for EWUU (UU, WUR, TUE) students program is € 150,-
  • For students from Utrecht University no fee applies

If you are in this category, follow the regular application process after which the fee will be waived by the institution. Only optional student accommodation costs of 200,- apply.

Additional information

The Utrecht Summer School offers housing in Utrecht, though the course takes place in Amsterdam. You can apply with optional student accommodation. Participants will travel back and forth (by train and bike) to the farm estate in Amsterdam. For participants it is possible to set up a tent at the farm instead if they want the proximity to the site. In that case, please apply without student accommodation. 

When you register we will invite you for an onboarding session online.

After the onboarding session we will have 2 preparatory online sessions to prepare for the Summer school. Here we will get to know each other, introduce key concepts, discuss preparatory material. 

Application

After you have applied you will be invited for an introductory intake online. Here we get to know each other, the intentions of the course and participants, and can get prepared for what is to come. 

In preparation of the intensive week on site, we will have 2 online sessions on June 26th and July 10th Wednesday's 18.00 hrs CET) and an assignment so that by the time we meet we share a background and the necessary knowledge to start..

When you register we will invite you for an onboarding session online.

After the onboarding session we will have 2 preparatory online sessions to prepare for the Sumer school. Here we will iet to know each other, introduce key concepts, discuss preparatory material. 

Online preparation sessions:

June 26th - 18.00-20.00 CET

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZjNkYTgwYjItMGQ3…

July 10th - 18.00-20.00 CET

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YmEzMWJjNGItZjJl…

 

When you register we will invite you for an onboarding session online.

After the onboarding session we will have 2 preparatory online sessions to prepare for the Sumer school. Here we will iet to know each other, introduce key concepts, discuss preparatory material. 

 

For this course you are required to upload the following documents when applying:

  • Motivation Letter
  • C.V.

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