Society, Sustainability and Planning

The master programme in Society, Sustainability and Planning centres around understanding the human factor in spatial interventions. Society, Sustainability and Planning promotes a novel understanding of how to transform the built environment in collaboration with its users. Our courses pay attention to the social, cultural, political, and economic environment in which decision-making on spatial interventions takes place.The emergence of self-organizing citizen collectives is a critical change in today's societal strive for sustainable places and futures. SSP emphasizes the role of citizens in shaping places. We interrogate why different stakeholders and social groups embrace, contest, or reject spatial changes, and how we can design their surroundings in such a way that it meets their diverse needs. We present spatial justice is a leading principle to design cities of the future. Moreover, we pay explicit attention to the ways in which spatial planning can contribute to achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals, such as healthy ageing, a clean environment, and eliminating poverty, in collaboration with citizens and civil society actors.Our programme highlights the social aspects of the global transition towards a more sustainable society. Sustainability challenges are interconnected with the communities that face them. As such, our students learn to adopt new met

Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen is the second oldest university in the Netherlands with over 33,000 students. Known for its vibrant student city atmosphere (1 in 4 residents is a student), excellent research output, and 4 Nobel Prize laureates including Ben Feringa (Chemistry 2016).