Minor International Urban Redevelopment
Cities around the world are aiming to reduce their car dependency and unrestricted growth, which needs a new way of thinking about urban areas and mobility. In the minor in International Urban Redevelopment you will work it out and the best team is going to visit the project sponsor.
Come and meet us
Choosing a minor is an important decision. That's why we will help you make your choice.
Why choose this minor?
- You will develop a vision to improve the sustainability and livability of urban areas
- You learn about the most pressing urban issues of our time
- Sophisticated combination of theory and hands-on action for achieving behavioural change
- Multidisciplinary approach in an inspiring learning community
About this minor
Fancy tackling real-world challenges in cities like Calgary, Seattle, Los Angeles and Bilbao? This minor gives you the chance to work on one of today’s biggest urban issues – cutting car dependency and sprawl while boosting air quality, liveability and social cohesion.
You will team up across disciplines to blend spatial design, behavioural change and community engagement, creating evidence-based visions and detailed designs that make a real impact. Plus, you will present your ideas to local experts, gain international experience and build a portfolio backed by genuine project sponsors.
You will work in teams of four to six on challenging international case studies, carrying out in-depth analyses and creating integrated solutions that combine infrastructure, behavioural campaigns and community participation. Each team will deliver a 10-page vision document, visual materials and a detailed background report, with top teams earning the chance to present their work internationally.
More information:
- Language of instruction
English.
- Admission requirements
Admission requirements for BUas students:
- Propaedeutic certificate obtained
Admission requirements for external students:
- Propaedeutic certificate obtained
- Learning outcomes & competencies
By the end of this minor, you will have developed key analytical, research, design and communication competencies through intensive project work. You will learn to assess situations in international case study areas using STEEP and SWOT analysis tools and apply these insights to create integrated concepts involving hardware, software and organisational interventions that are grounded in theory.
You will hone your ability to initiate, specify and design detailed, integrated plans that address societal issues related to urban sprawl and car dependency, providing a coherent narrative from analysis to concept development and specific measures. Through hands-on tactical urbanism training, you will develop the skills needed to implement and carry out targeted urban guerrilla tactics and perform real street interventions.
Throughout the programme, you will develop an entrepreneurial attitude by working professionally, taking the initiative in project tasks and critically reflecting on your performance as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Topics and structure of the minor
This minor’s main objective is to explore the transition towards sustainable cities and mobility through six key topics.
- Green gentrification
- Tactical urbanism and placemaking
- Inclusivity and urban planning
- Design thinking and concepting
- Car dependency and active transportation
- Integrated network planning
The minor programme consists of three phases.
During the Initiation Phase, you and your team will explore the case study area using STEEP and SWOT analyses. Each team member will immerse themselves in one of the four topics. Knowledge modules emphasise the nature and impact of hardware, software and orgware (HSO) interventions.
During the Integration Phase, you combine the outcomes of teamwork and individual studies to create a unified vision for the case study area. The key challenge here is to create a vision in which the various elements and measures reinforce each other. The second part of this phase shifts the emphasis to developing integrated packages of measures to support the sustainable transition in your case study area.
During the Communication Phase, you will focus on how to present your findings to the project commissioner and wider audiences. The project commissioner will visit Breda to discuss your concepts and provide feedback. Knowledge modules focus on visual communication (VIC) to help you convey your message as effectively as possible.- Teaching & assessment
The minor includes two studio days per week on campus, during which you will receive interactive coaching and plenary feedback sessions. These will be combined with masterclasses and mini lectures on the four core topics. Your group will also hold official progress meetings at least once every two weeks. The remaining days are dedicated to individual and group work.
All instruction, masterclasses, lectures and coaching sessions are conducted in English, and Dutch-speaking staff are available to support students for whom English is not their first language.
Throughout the minor, you will be coached by experts from BUas, who will provide qualitative feedback based on the learning objectives. Assessment is a continuous process that combines team deliverables, such as a 10-page vision document, poster/visual communication materials and a background report, with an evaluation of your individual performance.
Self-evaluation and peer feedback are both essential components. You will reflect on your personal performance and the dynamics of the team, while all team members will provide feedback on each other's work and actions. The final assessment consists of two grades on a scale of 1–10: one for your individual contribution and one for the group's overall performance. Each grade counts for 50% of your final grade.
- Required study material
This minor requires you to read academic and professional journals. Your lecturers will select relevant literature for you. You will also be expected to conduct your own literature research.
- Additional costs
None. However, the best teams will have the opportunity to visit the project sponsor after the minor project and present their work to local experts and community groups abroad. Selected students will need to cover some of the travel costs, while BUas and the project sponsor will arrange and cover the hosting costs.
- Minor coordinator
Paul van de Coevering: [email protected] & Rana Habibi: [email protected]
After this minor
You could pursue a career in government agencies, urban design studios, mobility consultancies or research institutes. You will be equipped to lead projects that transform cities in a sustainable way, conduct social science research and develop strategies that change how cities function and how people move around.
Practical information
When
Monday 31 August 2026 – Friday 31 January 2027
Where
All classes and meetings will take place on the BUas campus in Breda.
Teaching method
During coaching days we combine interactive feedback to your team with plenary feedback sessions. Masterclasses and mini-lectures will be provided on these days.
How to apply?
You can choose this minor if you study at BUas, but students from other higher education institutes are also warmly invited to join. This makes for a diverse and inspiring classroom!
- How to apply: BUas students
For BUas students, the application option in Osiris opens from 23 to 27 March 2026 (fall semester) & 5 to 9 October 2026 (spring semester). When you apply in Osiris you can indicate two preferences, these can be two different minors at BUas, but you should also indicate if you prefer to take an external minor. For more detailed information please visit the Minor Desk page on the student portal.
Please note that applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis or via a selection procedure as mentioned at the admission requirements on this page.
- How to apply: non-BUas students
All information regarding the minors for 2026 -2027 is available on Kies op Maat. From 2 February to 15 May, the application option and thus the download of the learning agreement will be open on Kies op Maat.
The full step-by-step plan:
- Download the learning agreement on Kies op Maat. Ask your own university of applied sciences to sign the learning agreement for approval.
- Start your application via Studielink – this is possible until 26 June. Go to the Study Programmes tab and click 'add new enrolment application'. Then click at 'Educational institution' on Breda University of Applied Sciences and enter 'Minor' or 'KOM' as search term. A list of BUas KOM minors per academy will appear. Make sure you apply for the right minor. Check the learning agreement to see where your minor belongs to. After registering in Studielink you will receive two emails: one confirming your registration with BUas and immediately afterwards an email containing the login codes for and the link to Osiris Registration from BUas. If you do not receive the second e-mail, check your spam first and otherwise send an e-mail to [email protected].
- Receive access to My Online Application. Here you can complete – and keep track of – the next steps of your application.
- Upload the signed learning agreement in My Online Application (note: the learning agreement must be signed by your own university of applied sciences and yourself before uploading it on My Online Application)
- Since you are coming to BUas temporarily for a minor, it is important that you arrange payment in a correct manner via the following steps to arrange your proof of payment, a so-called BBC (Bewijs Betaald Collegegeld).
- Arrange the payment at your own institution
- Go to Studielink and request a BBC for BUas. Click here to go to the correct webpage (search on this page for the "Request for proof of paid tuition fees") for the step by step plan.
Make sure you complete all steps on time, as mentioned there are deadlines for downloading the learning agreement and starting your application. Once you have made a start in My Online Application, you have until 1 September / the start of the minor at the latest to complete your steps. Please note:
- Some minors have limited numbers of places available. Students will be admitted in order of application.
- If you are a student of an institution affiliated to Kies op Maat, the rules and agreements of Kies op Maat apply. The costs of the minor will be settled between BUas and your home institution. As a student, you won’t notice anything about this.
- If you are a student from a government-funded institution that is not affiliated to Kies op Maat, we will make separate arrangements about financing the minor before the start of the minor.