Research Urban Social Development
The city is a dynamic environment where different populations coexist. This social and cultural diversity offers oppourtunities, but also generates problems and uncertainty. Therefore citizens and social institutions face many challenges. The research group studies social and cultural developments in urban environments, enabling the research group to stimulate a positive contribution on this matter.
In today’s society, there is considerable need for more freedom of choice, i.e. the possibility to be in charge of one’s own life. At the same time, the desire for a sense of certainty and safety has become stronger. Everyone wants socio-economic security, a good living and housing environment and opportunities to get ahead in life. The Urban Social Development research group wants to help make this possible. The research group studies social and cultural developments in urban environments. And those environments are right around the corner. The research group has entered into a long-term partnership with the municipality and carries out its work in neighbourhoods in The Hague in the form of research projects, focus dialogues and interviews with residents and professionals. Students are closely involved in these activities since they will often encounter urban problems in their future careers.
Team
dr. Katja Rusinovic
Professor Urban Social Development
Sam Schrevel
Irshad Abdoellakhan
Stephan van Berkel
Marianne van Bochove
Juul Gooren
Gerben Helleman
Karijn Nijhoff
Stefanie Schuddebeurs
Professor Urban Social Development
dr. Katja Rusinovic
Since 1 June 2020, Katja Rusinovic has been a professor of Urban Development at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Her work centres around the themes of social mobility, citizenship, (labour) migration, the urban labour market, education and new forms of housing for seniors. In addition, she is currently conducting research on the social impact of COVID-19 in The Hague.
In 2006, Katja obtained her doctorate at Erasmus University Rotterdam with a study on migrant entrepreneurship in the four largest cities in the Netherlands, comparing first and second-generation immigrants. Her post-doctoral research focused on citizenship and transnational connections among the immigrant middle class in Rotterdam and The Hague.
From 2012 to 2017, Katja worked at the University of Amsterdam in the Department of Sociology, as a lecturer, researcher and education director of the Sociology Master's programme. She has been working at The Hague University of Applied Sciences since 2017.
In addition to her work as professor, Katja is active in various boards.
k.m.rusinovic@hhs.nl
Sam Schrevel
Contact:
s.j.c.schrevel@hhs.nlIrshad Abdoellakhan
Stephan van Berkel
Marianne van Bochove
Gerben Helleman
Gerben Helleman (1977) is an urban geographer and works - since 2017, for two days a week - as a coordinator for the platform Stad en Wijk [City and neighborhood]. A collaboration between research groups of universities of applied sciences which give insight in and propose answers for social issues in city and neighborhoods through practice-oriented research. Mainly in the field of participation and resilience. The research group Metropolitan Development of THUAS is one of the initiators of the platform. Since 2019 he also works – for two days a week – as stimulator/coordinator for a living lab in the neighborhood ‘Tanthof’ in the city of Delft. Commissioned by the municipality, THUAS, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, and Delft University of Technology. The goal is to create more cooperation between these parties and with the city and its residents. By involving researchers, teachers and students one can understand and solve urban issues. Before that he worked for ten years at a housing association in The Hague. First as a social project leader in the Schilderswijk and then as a team leader and senior policy officer. In addition to more strategic issues (housing vision, local performance agreements), he dealt with issues such as poverty alleviation, protected living, resident participation, and quality of life. And before that, he worked as a researcher and adviser at various knowledge institutions with regard to urban renewal and the realization of an integrated neighborhood approach. Since 2011, he has been writing - on his own behalf - in various media and on his blog Urban Springtime. Among other things about the relation between the ‘planned’ and ‘lived’ city. The tension between 'the way a city is planned, designed and made by professionals' and 'the way a city is experienced, practiced and filled in by its users'. In 2016 he wrote a book about this subject, published by the research group Metropolitan Development under the title "Looking for new relationships; about the relationship between the planned and lived city' (in Dutch: ‘Op zoek naar nieuwe verhoudingen; over de relatie tussen de geplande en geleefde stad').
g.helleman@hhs.nlKarijn Nijhoff
Karijn Nijhoff looks in her work at different sides of integration and labor market participation of migrant groups in The Hague and in the Netherlands. The focus of her work is on the stories of migrants themselves – she looks at experiences and needs of new arrivals to generate conclusions on a successful process to participation in society. In her work, she uses both qualitative as quantitative research methods. Karijn earned her PhD in sociology at Michigan State University, United States. In her dissertation she looked at the effect of welfare state provisions on economic participation of migrant groups.
k.g.nijhoff@hhs.nlStefanie Schuddebeurs
Stefanie Schuddebeurs works as a researcher on the European research project “Socially Engaged Universities” that focuses on how universities can work more effectively and more inclusively within their city communities. She also works for lectorate Civic Technology as a researcher in the project “Public Dialogues”, which through case studies, literature research and research by design interventions aims to arrive at a theoretical basis and practical toolkit on how to have better dialogues on public matters. She draws insights from her MA in Conflict Studies and Human Rights (University of Utrecht) and a honours BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences, focused on social psychology, sociology and anthropology (University College Utrecht). Stefanie previously worked for five years as a policy maker and project leader for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Justice, focusing on democratic innovation and participatory processes as well as integration. In 2015 she founded the first Listening Academy of the Netherlands, in which she consults on participatory trajectories and co-creative processes with stakeholders.
S.L.Schuddebeurs@hhs.nlAbout the professor
dr. Katja Rusinovic
Since 1 June 2020, Katja Rusinovic has been a professor of Urban Development at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Her work centres around the themes of social mobility, citizenship, (labour) migration, the urban labour market, education and new forms of housing for seniors. In addition, she is currently conducting research on the social impact of COVID-19 in The Hague.
In 2006, Katja obtained her doctorate at Erasmus University Rotterdam with a study on migrant entrepreneurship in the four largest cities in the Netherlands, comparing first and second-generation immigrants. Her post-doctoral research focused on citizenship and transnational connections among the immigrant middle class in Rotterdam and The Hague.
From 2012 to 2017, Katja worked at the University of Amsterdam in the Department of Sociology, as a lecturer, researcher and education director of the Sociology Master's programme. She has been working at The Hague University of Applied Sciences since 2017.
In addition to her work as professor, Katja is active in various boards.
k.m.rusinovic@hhs.nl