PRELIMINARY COURSE STRUCTURE

WK 1 & 2 / 07 April - 18 April 2025
INTRODUCTION: LEARNING FROM ROTTERDAM

The first two weeks are dedicated to understand and immerse ourselves in the visible and invisible worlds that together make up Rotterdam, from the historical neighbourhoods and their ancient landscape patterns, the intricacies of its politics and finance to the city as an imagined space, formed by the creativity of its artists, writers and designers. Through field trips, lectures and exercises, you will explore the urban landscape while meeting various professionals from within the network of the School. All these different perspectives and encounters will help you sharpen your own thinking. In these first weeks you will be learning from Rotterdam while critically reflecting on the trends and developments that influence the city.

WK 3 - 5 / 21 April - 09 May 2025
BLOCK #1 - MIGRATION: WE, THE TEMPORARY

Rotterdam has been drawing people from every corner of the globe for decades, thanks to its port and connections to the rest of the world. During these weeks, we will therefore look at the city of Rotterdam as a space for migrants, whether they be refugees from war or expats surfing the waves of international capital. We will explore the lives and experiences of those who temporarily stay in the city. From seasonal workers in Westland's greenhouses or the logistic warehouses, to international students pursuing a master's degree at one of the universities. And from undocumented migrants who live on the street and struggle to survive, to rich expats who are welcomed with open arms.

We will do reconnaissance missions in a number of buildings that were specifically designed and built for travellers of different kinds. We will investigate these temporary communities and see which role they play in local and global networks, mapping out their inner social, spatial and architectural workings, as well as the political and financial structures that have created them. Examples are the asylum seekers centre, the labour migrant hostel and the exclusive enclave for expats.

WK 6 - 8 / 12 May – 30 May 2025
BLOCK #2 - ANTHROPOCENE: TO SEE THE WORLD IN A SOY BEAN

As one of the largest harbours in the world, the Port of Rotterdam plays a pivotal role in the global trade of containers, fossil fuels and raw materials. Around 450 million tonnes of goods go through Rotterdam on a yearly basis, amongst which the transhipment and storage of agricultural products, such as corn, grains, soybeans and oilseeds. But while this position as a global trading hub is an important driver of the economy in North-Western Europe, it also has a major negative impact on societies and ecosystems worldwide. 

In this block we will map and unravel the global impact of the Rotterdam port, meaning the societal and environmental impact that is not only produced by the port itself, but also by those parties and productions that it’s indirectly responsible for up and down its value chain. To really understand how our local economy is entangled with the world, we will focus on one specific product - the soybean - and see how Rotterdam’s harbour and its affiliated network of businesses is directly tied to the destruction of rainforests, the industrial scale production of cheap meat, and the exploitation of human and natural capital all over the world. We will highlight stories that expose the often-hidden impact of this trade, from the transshipment of goods to their consumption, and the resulting effects on communities and the environment. Eventually we will speculate on spatial, social and ecological scenarios that arise when moving towards a meatless society.

WK 9 - 11 / 02 June – 20 June 2025
THEMATIC BLOCK #3 - RIGHT TO THE CITY: PROTEST

Protest has always been an inherent part of the democratic process and urban life, unfolding on the streets, squares, and walls of our cities. From the strikes of the harbour workers to the #MeToo movement, and from demonstrations by residents against increasing rents or climate marches, to Black Lives Matter campaigns - people find ways to be heard in public space. But the possibilities for protest are increasingly under pressure. Security measures, gentrification and the increasing smoothening of public space are making it harder for people to freely gather, express dissent, and advocate for change.

In this last thematic block we will look at the public space of the city as a place for protest. We will regard activism as a discipline that involves revealing facts, building narratives and creating real-world impact. Whether it is the fossil fuelled industry or the bankrupt housing system, Rotterdam has plenty of battles to be fought that resonate over the globe. In these weeks we will identify an urgent issue, create a counter position, and design a strategy to challenge it while proposing an alternative solution. 

Drawing inspiration from past and present generations of activists, we will explore how to design blockades, barricades, banners, legal tactics, and social media memes, squatting operations, and consumer strikes—using whatever tools are necessary to drive change.

This block is organised in cooperation with Loom - Practice for Cultural Transformation.

WK 12/ 23 June – 27 June 2025
REFLECT AND PRESENT

Time to reflect on your findings and present the lessons learned! In the last week we will wrap up the course with some time to organise your thoughts and draw conclusions. The Independent School will organise a final event during which the participants can present the insights of the past 12 weeks to city officials and urban professionals.

METHODOLOGY

The course will use the Independent School for the City’s methodological triad of Research, Stories, Strategies!

# RESEARCH
We believe that strategies for the city should be based on real, first-hand, empirical research. Empirical because the reality of the city offers interesting conflicts and unpredictable synergies to learn from and build upon. Through lectures by the best experts, precisely planned excursions through Rotterdam, mapping exercises and desk research, we can uncover the invisible layers of the city, look at sites through various lenses and collect the data needed to take a position vis-à-vis the city’s challenges. We look at the city as a palimpsest of different systems, ideas, infrastructures, policies and ideologies. Each time, we consider Rotterdam as a means to get a close-up view of global trends and networks.

# STORIES
To share our position on the city with others, in order to turn it into action, we need to construct a strong narrative. We use different formats and techniques, different languages and methods with which a story can be told. From the written manifesto to the exhibition, the political campaign to the utopian plan, the movie to the historical essay. We aim to discover how a narrative approach not only carries the message we want to share but will shape and influence it too. Through the stories we tell, we start to change the reality of our cities.

# STRATEGIES
The last step is to translate our insights and stories into strategies and concrete actions. Find a way to change the environment, to bring your story to the widest possible audience, to influence policies with your research, to make an actual physical thing or to start a process of transformation that involves as many people as possible. A precisely written and timed manifesto could have as much influence as a government funded masterplan; a tactical policy change can have as much impact on the shape of a street as an iconic piece of architecture. What is your end goal, and which kind of process, which strategy, would you choose to reach it?  

HOW TO APPLY?

This intensive 12-week programme fits within the 90 days period of a tourist visa to the Netherlands. It is based on a 4-day work week from Monday – Thursday, filled with assignments, lectures, workshops, field trips and conversations. The participation fee for This is Tomorrow is 1500 Euro (no VAT payable). 

You can apply by sending a motivation letter (1 A4), your CV (max 2mb) and examples of previous work (max 8mb/5 pages) to info[@]schoolforthecity.nl before 28 February 2025. The programme needs a minimum amount of 8 participants and has a maximum of 20 participants. Applicants will be informed before 01 March 2025 whether they have been accepted, after which a down-payment should be made of 150 Euro. For question please contact info[@]schoolforthecity.nl

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

This is the fourth time that the Independent School for the City offers an intensive 12-week program. The first two editions ran under the title “Dirty Old Town,” and in 2024, the program was re-envisioned as “This is Tomorrow.” Results from previous editions can be viewed here.

THIS IS TOMORROW 2023

DIRTY OLD TOWN 2022

DIRTY OLD TOWN 2021

ABOUT ROTTERDAM

Once unknown and misunderstood, the city of Rotterdam is now more popular than ever. Iconic buildings, bars and restaurants pop up all around town, making it an attractive destination for tourists, students and other visitors from all around the world. The population is growing, house prices are on the rise and the development of new urban districts is in full swing. In less than two decades the city has changed from a harsh and grim, yet poetic, place to a smooth and attractive city that is loved and today is even called hospitable and pleasant.

But no matter how charming the city presents itself, no matter how modern or popular it is, it owes - contrarily enough – a large part of its appeal to its sharp edges; its attraction lies not exactly in being able to offer what you are looking for, but in what it confronts you with unexpectedly: the surprises, the jagged fringes and the opportunities they bring. The city is a real city because it always offers more than what you asked for. It is the darker side that makes her more than a small town. The city is old, dirty and beautiful at the same time. That’s why we love her, why we want to nurture her.

Yet, at the same time, there are still many serious issues in this city that are problematic. Just like other world cities, Rotterdam has to come to terms with social inequality and spatial segregation, with drug-related crime and human trafficking, with pollution and environmental degradation. The city has been part of a global network since her origins and shares these issues with cities worldwide such as Hong Kong or Baltimore, Athens or Accra. Her problems are not unique, but can we devise unique strategies to solve them?

Testimonials of previous participants