Testimonials
I really enjoy the fact that the Spatial Planning programme offers specialisations and has dedicated and specialized staff in all four fields.
- Previous education
- Human Geography & Planning (Utrecht University)
- Programme
- Urban and Regional Mobility
- Study start date
Student Danique Wiertsema is following the Master's programme Urban and Regional Mobility.
“I really enjoy the fact that the Spatial Planning programme offers specialisations and has dedicated and specialized staff in all four fields. This makes it possible to really get into a specific subject instead of only taking broad courses (as was the case during my bachelor). The teaching staff and programme coordination encourage (and assists) you to find a subject of your own interest within each of the specialisations. Following the Urban and Regional Mobility track opened up some great opportunities for me. I have been interested in mobility for a while and enjoyed finding a Master’s where I was surrounded by like-minded people, professors and teachers. This has given me the necessary knowledge and network to become a mobility expert!
On the one hand, the Spatial Planning programme offers some broader courses whereby you get to collaborate with fellow Spatial Planning / Environment and Society Studies students in all fields (environment, sustainability, real estate, water management, participation et cetera). The diverse interests create a great atmosphere for knowledge sharing and discussions. On the other hand, you are taking classes with fellow Urban and Regional Mobility students. This year we were all quite passionate and enthusiastic about mobility topics and since my classmates came from all over the world, choosing the URM specialisation really broadened my view on (international) mobility. The Urban and Regional Mobility course was characterised by many guest lectures (from for example municipalities, provinces, research institutes) and an open and informal atmosphere. You really get the opportunity to ask questions to professors, teachers, guest lecturers, and fellow students.
The never-ending possibilities made it hard to choose between courses and to find a thesis subject. I wanted to participate in the Dual Mode track and was quite interested in both Urban and Regional Mobility and Cities, Water and Climate Change. This made me decide to extend my Master’s by an additional year to follow extra courses and take multiple internships. Even though this can be seen as a “delay” the staff helped me out in organising the organisational side of what I like to call my “bonus year”.
During my Master’s I had the opportunity to be an intern at three organisations: I worked at Royal Haskoning DHV (Amersfoort), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (The Hague) and the Province of Noord-Brabant (‘s-Hertogenbosch). These experiences boosted the theoretical knowledge I gained during class, taught me professional skills and made me realize what I would like to do after graduation. Right now, I am writing my thesis about “The added value of collaboration between employers in collaborative workplace travel planning”. This thesis marks the final piece of my studies and is in line with what I would like to do work in the organisational processes needed for the transition towards sustainable transport and mobility.
I believe that in order to build a sustainable feature, we need to transform the way we move ourselves and our goods around the world. To successfully reach this goal, it is essential that people with a sound theoretical, research-based knowledge integrate the latest findings in the field of mobility into practice.'
The atmosphere in the class is very open.
- Previous education
- Bachelor Geography, Spatial Planning and Environmental studies. Radboud University
- Programme
- Urban and Regional Mobility
- Study start date
Student Paul van der Horst followed the master’s specialisation Urban and Regional Mobility.
"My previous education was the bachelor's in Geography, Spatial Planning and Environmental studies here at the Radboud University. After this, I started the Master Spatial Planning with a specialisation in Urban and Regional Mobility. The master is focused on the social and organisational side of planning and providing a toolbox. The organisational side of this master's is exemplified in the course on Institutional Perspectives. The course Urban Future Lab is an example of a course that expands your toolbox. In this course, you will design your own serious game. Personally, I like this approach because it suites my interests and gives an interesting view on the practice of planning. This focus however means there is less attention on other aspects of spatial planning such as the technical side.
The specialisation in Urban and Regional Mobility means that there is a course on mobility and your thesis is on a topic related to mobility. The only thing that you should not expect is a full focus on mobility throughout the entire master programme. There is plenty of room in all the courses to focus on topics that interest you but these are not only focused on mobility issues. What is there to say about the specialisation Urban and Regional Mobility furthermore? Firstly there is the course Urban Networks. I enjoyed the course Urban Networks. All the contemporary issues surrounding mobility are highlighted in this course, not only through scientific articles but also through guest lectures with experts from the field.
Secondly, there is the master thesis. I am writing my master thesis on the topic of cycling highways. I find the master thesis the most challenging part of the master's programme and it is taking me a bit longer to finish. However, this is not due to the support I receive from my supervisor. The contact with the supervisor is great and helpful. When choosing a topic for the master thesis you are free to choose your own topic or do research in a topic which the staff is already researching. The process of writing a master thesis might be difficult but is definitely a great learning experience.
The atmosphere in the class is very open. Just as the relation with the supervisor during the thesis is open so is this the case during the classes. Discussion in lectures is encouraged and appreciated. Questions can always be asked and are answered well. All things considered, most teachers are open and enthusiastic.
After finishing my degree I hope to find a job where I can contribute to solving some of the problems that are society today is facing. Whether this is through advising governmental organisations on sustainable mobility such as cycling highways or working for these governmental organisations and implementing policies. Altogether I think spatial planners that have graduated from this programme are able to use the skills they have learned and apply it to a wide range of problems to help solve them.'
This field is interesting since mobility has direct implications for how we organise our world in a fast-changing environment.
- Nationality
- French/Dutch
- Programme
- Urban and Regional Mobility
Guy van Nifterik is a PhD candidate at Radboud University.
Can you introduce yourself?
I graduated from the Master's programme Urban and Regional Mobility in 2023, after which I became a PhD candidate working at the Methods group. My work focuses on uncertainties in the implementation of mobility hubs within (sub)urban and rural areas. More specifically, I am developing and testing methods to handle these uncertainties. I am predominantly teaching at the Business Administration department offering Bachelor's thesis supervision and Academic Skills, but I am also involved in a lecture about decision-making under uncertainty in the field of mobility. This lecture is part of the 'Urban Networks' course offered by the Master's Urband and Regional Mobility.
Why did you choose to study and work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
This field is interesting since mobility has direct implications for how we organise our world in a fast-changing environment. In fact, we are currently facing grand challenges: think about climate change, biodiversity loss, or rising inequalities. These problems are interrelated and require deep transformations from a multitude of often heterogeneous actors. Within these challenges, there is a great responsibility for mobility and mobility researchers: together with my colleagues, we develop knowledge and tools to enable these transformations and directly support the transition to a sustainable mobility system.
What are you currently doing your own research on?
My research develops and tests methods to cope with uncertainties in mobility hub implementation. Next to traditional uncertainty about the technical system, I also acknowledge the existence of uncertainties related to governance. Typically, many stakeholders engage in mobility hub implementation, all with different knowledge, values, rules, or resources. This makes planning increasingly complex and uncertain, and my research allows stakeholders to engage and cope with these uncertainties. To achieve this, I make use of participatory approaches such as participatory modelling, scenario development, and serious gaming.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
A major part of your Master's programme is devoted to writing your thesis. I would encourage students to choose a programme that unlocks their curiosity, where the process of writing actually becomes fun, interesting, and rewarding. When the topic is close to your personal interests, your motivation increases significantly! In a nutshell: choose something you are really enthusiastic about.
What is the best part of working with students?
I really like the in-class interactions with students, sparking their curiosity and engaging in meaningful discussions with them. A university is a great place for discussion: while you are here to learn new insights through theoretical development, we as teachers also enjoy learning from your own experiences or innovative thoughts!
All lecturers are very involved with the assignment you are working on and many are also interested in your opinion.
- Previous education
- Civil Engineering - The Hague University of Applied Science
- Programme
- Urban and Regional Mobility
- Study start date
Sanne van der Sluijs is a Master's student Urban and Regional Mobility.
What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why? How has the programme/specialisation challenged you (in relation to your previous education)?
After my Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, I went on to follow a Master's degree in planning. Whereas the world of civil engineering doesn't really start until a decision has been made to realise something, I was curious about how the process leading up to it is designed. Thinking about why mobility is being developed here, why in this form and why does it take so long for it to be realised? These issues are not dealt with specifically in the Spatial Planning Master's, but you do gain insight into the way organisations or governments work (together). Throughout the entire Master's, you have the freedom to research what you find interesting. This way, you do not have to do research in the direction of your specialisation in all courses. For me, the course belonging to my specialisation was the best course of the Master's, because we took a broad look at many topics within Urban and Regional Mobility and you had the opportunity to study a specific part in more depth. This is actually how it works for many courses in the Master's.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class (for example the relationship between students and with the teachers/researchers)?
I liked that there was a good alternation of lectures and working groups in the specialisation. During the lectures, it was nice to work with fellow students, but there was always a lecturer present. All lecturers are very involved with the assignment you are working on and many are also interested in your opinion.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s (specialisation)? Have you encountered any obstacles?
In the specialisation, I often found it a bit more difficult when it stayed at a very global level and did not directly lay an application. In many subjects, it remained analytical, while I am interested in looking at how are you going to change something if the situation is according to it.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
For my graduation, I am doing research on the traffic safety perception of cyclists in relation to human factors on nine different traffic circles in Breda. I am doing my internship at DTV Consultants which gives me the opportunity to see how things work at a traffic consultancy company.