About Gebiedsontwikkeling.nu

Gebiedsontwikkeling.nu is an initiative from the SKG (Stichting Kennis Gebiedsontwikkeling, Dutch for Foundation for Area Development Knowledge) and the Area Development chair of the Delft University of Technology. SKG connects a growing number of public, private and third sector organisations involved in the practice of area development across The Netherlands. Next to their generous donations, SKG partners co-define the knowledge agenda of the Area Development chair together with TU Delft. This allows SKG to fulfil its mission: to promote a professional, reflective area development practice that is aimed towards a sustainable built environment.

Objectives

SKG’s mission translates into five interrelated core objectives that guide all activities of the Area Development chair:

Develop knowledge and instruments for area development practice
Connect actors, professional disciplines and policy sectors relevant to the field
Promote (more) quality, sustainability and progress in projects
Contribute to relevant education and research programs
Stimulate the exchange of knowledge between academic research and practice

Key Questions

The Area Development research program focuses on four key aspects of urban area development projects: value, process, collaboration, and design. Key research questions focus on these aspects, particularly how to understand them in the context of public-private-civic governance around spatial projects in the built environment. Examples are: what is the impact of professional design studies on specific area development strategies? And: what are the institutional barriers/enablers in the private financing of public infrastructure in area development projects?

Network

At TU Delft, the Area Development chair is part of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. Its network stretches across all schools relevant to the area development domain—particularly Civil Engineering, Public Management, and Industrial Design. Outside of TU Delft, the Area Development chair warmly collaborates with several research institutes and university departments with similar or complimentary domains, e.g. spatial planning, urban economics, real estate, and infrastructure. It also partners with private research and consultancy firms on specialised themes and projects.