European postgraduate Masters in Urbanism (EMU)

Four leading European universities – UPC Barcelona, TU Delft, KU Leuven and Universitá IUAV di Venezia have designed a joint European Postgraduate Master of Urbanism programme: Strategies and Design for Cities and Territories. All four of the universities adhere to the specifically European tradition that views urbanism as a collection of socially responsible disciplines which aim to improve the living conditions of all citizens. The universities also take different approaches to the subject matter, which is the result of interactive, contextual development with regard to geography, history and culture. This specificity means that students acquire valuable experience in a variety of cultural, disciplinary and physical landscapes.
The courses are conducted in English, although Spanish will be used at UPC, Barcelona.

Study Programme

We offer a two-year, full-time postgraduate Master’s programme (120 credits). The full-time programme consists of three core semesters (30 credits/semester) and one final semester for a written or design thesis (30 credits). In each core semester, students take several cutting-edge courses. The design studio is the real backbone of the programme.

The individual courses and the design studio can also be taken by professionals who want to improve their skills in the field of urbanism. Enrolment in the individual courses is on a per semester basis. 

Coming semester (autumn 2012)

The coming semester, entitled Mobile Strategies, addresses the shift in our understanding of the city as a complex interactive system. The increased and increasing spatial mobility of people is one of the major factors that is influencing and changing our ideas about urbanisation processes and urban transformations.  This semester consists of the following courses:

• Mobilised Mobility Design Studio (15 credits); the studio studies the strategic design for the transformation of the complex Randstad-Holland urban area in which mobility and infrastructure play a major role. Teachers are available in the studio two times a week for half a day, but you are expected to work together with your fellow students in the studio.
• Mobile Space, Scale and Urbanisation Theory Course (5 credits); the course consists of eight seminars in which the objective is to gain an understanding of the factors affecting the qualitative aspects of local values vis-à-vis urbanisation in a globalising world. The assignment is to write a paper of 3,000 words.
• Strategic Spatial Planning Methodology Course (5 credits); The course consists of several lectures and workshops designed to introduce participants to strategic urban planning with an emphasis on innovation and approaches that can be applied in the networked urban region. The assignment is to prepare a team presentation comparing the spatial planning approach and methods in two or three different regions and to prepare a written report of 2,000 words.
• Space Syntax and GIS of Mobility Spaces Technology Course (5 credits); This is a ten-session course, consisting of lectures, exercises and workshops. The course has two parts: 1) carrying out spatial configurative analysis with the Space-Syntax method; and 2) using GIS in research and project interventions.

For more information, please download the brochure (information will follow soon).

Full time EMU

If you are interested in the full-time programme, please see this site.

EMU Exchange semester

If you are interested in an exchange semester at TU Delft please read this information carefully.

EMU individual courses

If you are interesting in signing up for individual courses, please see this site.