Cultuurcampus: a sustainable hub of arts, research, learning and community as catalyst

Cultuurcampus pilots a new approach to city making through education, research, policy and culture at the heart of Rotterdam South, an area which is exemplary of the complex challenges and diverse potential of Europe’s most disadvantaged urban areas.

In our approach, we facilitate the coming together of different types of knowledge - theoretical, practical, from the arts and sciences - with the lived experiences of citizens. We do so in three ways.First, by co-creating a vibrant site of encounter, dialogue and shared learning.

The Cultuurcampus will be housed in a historical building, the refurbishment of which unites a sustainable re-design vision of students of architecture and built environment, with the wishes and needs of local stakeholders, in a part of town where education and cultural institutions are scarce.

This will be a hub for students, residents, social enterprise start-ups, lecturers and researchers – a place for learning, studying, community, art and culture.Second, we will facilitate empowering the co-design of impact-oriented learning curricula, that can make the area more sustainable, inclusive, and enriching.

From sustainable crafts and repair workshops open to all, to lifelong learning formats and Master level courses, we will test innovative didactic approaches geared towards activating and inspiring citizens, students, and lecturers in shaping a better future for Rotterdam South.Third, we will ground our approach in participatory research and citizen science, that empowers residents to take part in the processes that shape their city and delivers a sound understanding of the area, its challenges and opportunities.Evaluating our experience, we will identify the most effective strategies for delivering territorial transformations that build on situated knowledge of an area and where the vision is shaped and implemented through multi-stakeholder and multi-level collaborations.