FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Independent School for the City’s goal?
The Independent School for the City is not a regular school, but aims to be playground for all urban thinkers, do-ers and designers. It is a learning community, open to everyone who is involved with the city. The School develops activities in which (young)professionals are confronted with the complexity and contradictions of the contemporary city. Using Rotterdam as our laboratory, we want to reveal the invisible realities of the city, to go beyond the wishful thinking and the marketing that so often disguises what a city is really about. Ultimately our goal is to train a group of critical urbanists that knows how to deal with the major spatial issues that will dominate the city in the near future.
Who is the Independent School for the City for?
The School is intended for everyone who feels comfortable with the job description ‘Urbanist’. Participants of the school are already qualified and/or have a track record in in spatial and urban studies such as architecture, urbanism and planning, architectural history, sociology, anthropology, political and cultural studies, art or media. We welcome young professionals as well a those with years of experience.
Are all your activities focused on Rotterdam?
The Independent School for the City sees Rotterdam as a test case for major cities of the world. It is the perfect place to explore the spatial challenges that contemporary cities face. The perfect place to analyse them, to learn to understand them and subsequently formulate ideas to make cities better. To think about the spatial, cultural and social aspects of migration, the necessary adaptation to climate change, the reinvention of democracy, and the consequences of economic growth and/or recession. The Independent School for The City wants to be just as complex, useful and stubborn as the city in which it originated. The Independent School does not defend professional, commercial or political interests and does not do city marketing. Ultimately, the Independent School provides a platform to face the challenges of the city with an open mind, without window dressing.
How many people can take part in the School’s activities?
The courses at the Independent School for the city have a small-scale structure to allow personal guidance and interaction. The groups vary from 8 till 20 participants. In case a studio is sold out, you can be placed on the waiting list.
Can the Independent School for the City assist in visa applications?
The unaccredited status of the Independent School does not allow us to assist in Visa applications. The applications have to be done by the participants themselves and at their own risk. If needed, the School can provide an invitation letter.
What does the Independent School for the City offer?
The Independent School for the City is a school for ‘urbanism’ in the broadest sense of the word. It is not a design course but borrows skills and methods from different disciplines such as sociology, economics, history, anthropology, as well as urban design and architecture; everything that helps to understand and improve the city. The Independent School for the City does not have a fixed curriculum that one has to follow from A to Z, but offers a flexible framework of activities, which is adapted and tuned to current events every year. We offer stand-alone workshops, masterclasses, studios and other courses that vary in duration from a few days, up to three months.
Is the school accredited? / Do I get credits when I participate in the School's programme?
The Independent School for the City is deliberately unaccredited. This means you don’t get credits for participating in our educational activities. The unaccredited and independent position allows us to be more critical, experiment more, and reach a different audience than the established institutions and accredited schools.
Do the activities in the school qualify for the BEP?
Various participants have joined activities at the Independent School for the City as part of their BEP Independent Route programme. Please discuss with your BEP mentor if the specific activity fits in your professional progress plan.
How can I apply for the School’s activities?
You can register for the regular courses directly through our Stager account or by sending an email to info[@]schoolforthecity.nl. Admission for these courses is on a first come, first serve basis. In order to apply for our intensive 12-week This is Tomorrow programme, you are required to send a motivation, your CV (max 2mb) and examples of previous work (max 8mb/5 pages). Admission for this programme is based on these documents.
I really want to take part in your public events or course, but I don't have the financial means.
We want our activities to be accessible for a broad range of people from different backgrounds and from all over the world. In case you want to join our activities, but you don't have the financial means, please send an email to info[@]Schoolforthecity.nl to see what is possible.
What language is spoken in the Independent School?
All courses and public event are in English, unless stated otherwise. A competency in both spoken and written English is required for all participants.
Still having questions? Send an email to info@schoolforthecity.nl and we'll get back to you asap