With over half of the world’s population living in cities, and megacities springing up in many parts of the globe, the wide array of challenges which particularly uncontrolled urban sprawl poses are part of RGHI research. The Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Municipal Health Council of Rotterdam is leading in urban health innovation and was instrumental in setting up Academic ‘Innovation Labs’, studying the health and equity implications of urban development.
The most specialized Urban Development research center in the country
The Institute of Housing and Urban Development is the most specialized Urban Development research center in the country, involved in research on housing and urban planning, slum development, urban-rural interactions, and informal labour in urban centers. RGHI participants at the Institute of Social Studies such as dr. Joop de Wit are leading in the field of new empirical studies of slums (in India and other parts of Asia), and urban governance.