RIGHT TO THE CITY

A studio with Stad in de Maak, working on an actual case study. 19, 20, 26 & 27 June 2026.

A 3-day studio with Inara Nevskaya and Jurrien van Duijkeren of Common Practice, on functional, flexible and desirable urban floorplans. 06, 07 & 13 March 2026

An annual course designed specifically for employees of the Municipality of Rotterdam from different departments, this year focussing on how public (social) real estate in neighbourhoods can help achieve a wide range of social goals. October 2025.

A four-day international workshop, organised together with Cluster, Loom and AP+E, exploring community-driven solutions to improve indoor climate and energy performance in Cairo’s informal neighbourhoods. Participants designed and built prototypes, as a starting point for broader discussions on climate adaptation and justice. Monday 15 - Thursday 18 September 2025.

A 4-day workshop looking at public space as a place for protest together with Loom - practice for cultural transformation. Drawing inspiration from past and present generations of activists, participants explored how to use blockades, barricades, banners, legal tactics, and social media memes, squatting operations, and consumer strikes—using whatever tools are necessary to drive change.

In this series of three evenings curated by Andrea Prins, we aimed to look beyond the current debate around social housing in which a lot of attention is focused on numbers. Instead we discussed the resident, the experience of habitation itself and how social housing is suffering of a negative imago. Together with various speakers from The Netherlands and surrounding countries we discuss these issues from different perspectives. What do decent spatial floor plans look like? What should be meant by the word “social” mean? And why do we know so little about alternatives to home ownership?

Studio with Loom: practice for cultural transformation, exploring how city dwellers can shape their urban surroundings.  15 April – 03 May 2024.

A Community of Learning, specifically developed for employees of the Municipality of Rotterdam. 18 January, 27 February 2024, 21 March 2024 and 11 April 2024.

14 - 18 November 2022- A one week studio with BURA urbanism

02 - 09 MAR 2022 with Kristian Koreman and Elma van Boxel

A two-week summer school exploring new strategies for collective affordable housing with architect Alfredo Brillembourg of Urban-Think Tank Design Partners, experience designer Tessa Steenkamp and Crimson Historians & Urbanists, that took place from 19 - 30 July 2021 in Rotterdam.

A one-week studio exploring the physical and urban dimension of crime in Rotterdam taking place from 03 - 10 March 2021

A one-week Summer School researching contemporary urban smoothness together with René Boer and Mark Minkjan of Failed Architecture, taking place from 03 - 07 August 2020.

21-31 OCT 2019 studio with Powerhouse Company and RED

A talk about Afaina's work with AFARAI, which crosses the boundaries of traditional architectural practice, encouraging change on social and spatial issues while accommodating differences. Friday 27 November 2026, 20:00 - 22:00. Tickets available for 5 euro here.

An evening with writers Holly Smith and Alva Gotby about the politics of housing and homeliness. Organised in collaboration with Verso Books. Friday 26 June 2026, 20:00 - 22:00.

A public lecture by Paul Steinbrück from the Brussels based initiative Pool is Cool as part of our upcoming studio Harbours are for Swimming. Taking place on Friday 03 July, 19:00 - 21:00.

Film screening of Lizzie Borden’s post-punk feminist cult classic Born in Flames (1983), organised in collaboration with Archined and Lara Schrijver. Sunday 08 March 2026, 16:00-18:00.

A public lecture by Isa Fremeaux and Jay Jordan of the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination about their work in between performance and pedagogy, protest and poetics. Thursday 19 June, 19:00 - 21:00.

A conversation organised in collaboration with affect lab, starring architect Thaïs Zuchetti and former NASA space gynaecologist Varsha Jain, exploring the design of living and working environments for menstruators beyond Earth. Wednesday 23 April 2025, 18:30 - 22:00.

A series of three evening lectures about social housing, curated by architect and writer Andrea Prins. Taking place on 28 January, 18 February and 04 March 2025.

School's Out! #47 with writer and urbanist Adam Greenfield. A talk about his latest book "Lifehouse: Taking Care of Ourselves in a World on Fire", drinks and a short movie. Friday 31 January 2025, 19:00 - 22:00

School's Out! #46 with curator Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy - the former director of Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam. A lecture, drinks and a short movie. Friday 29 November 2024, 19:00 - 22:00.

A public lecture by Omar Nagati of the Cairo-based office CLUSTER. Thursday 19 September 17:00 – 18:30.

Symposium about the pros and cons of a total demolition moratorium, with Peter van Assche, Wouter Deen, Sanne van Manen, Dimitri Minten, Ludwig Engel and Kristiaan Borret. Thursday 14 March 2024, 13:00 - 17:30.

a debate evening, organised by Amateur Cities about alternative forms of home ownership. Thursday, March 28, 19:30 - 21:00.

A conversation about menstruation and menopause in relation to architecture, organised with Affect lab. Thursday 18 January 19:00 - 21:00 (Doors open at 18:30). Tickets available for 5 euro here

A reflection by architect and writer Andrea Prins on the lecture series on social housing that she curated at the Independent School for the City in spring 2025. The series unfolded over three evenings, each tackling a key issue. The first focused on the search for affordable housing with well-designed, flexible floor plans. The second examined the meaning of ‘social’, moving beyond its often stigmatising association with ‘neediness’. The third evening addressed the deeply ingrained obsession with homeownership. Drawing on the insights shared during these sessions, Andrea reflects in this article on the structural challenges facing social housing today - and offers three hopeful perspectives that point toward a more just and inclusive future.

In Spring 2024 the Independent School for the City together with the International New town institute, organised an international symposium on demolition, or rather: on learning to live without it. Speakers included Michelle Provoost (Crimson/INTI/Independent School), Peter van Assche (Bureau SLA), Wouter Deen (Mevrouw Meijer), Sanne van Manen (Platform Woonopgave), Dimitri Minten (RE-ST), Ludwig Engel (House Europe) and Kristiaan Borret (Bouwmeester Brussel). Read a report of the symposium here