Returning to InHolland at their Rotterdam campus our day began with a short tour and lecture about equity and urban planning south of the river. Afterwards we met back on campus to get to know the ins and outs of the Business, Finance, and Law department at the university.

Since the bombing of Rotterdam in the early 1940s the city has become a canvas for modern and innovative architectural styles otherwise restricted in the more historically ingrained parts of the country. As such development and redevelopment has been a constant in Rotterdam, especially in the south of the city where formerly lower income areas are in the process of being gentrified. Richer families from suburbs in the north have begun their move south in a play to live closer to city center and the various amenities it offers. New public works projects have began to suit the needs of these more affluent families, such as a new school in the area almost exclusively attended by the incoming families’ children. The poorer families in the region, however, have had to contend with the older pre-existing infrastructure and schools, creating an distinctive wealth gap that is emerging south of the Nieuwe Maas. This narrative extends in part throughout the whole of Rotterdam as new investor-forward developments focus on higher income tenants to maximize their returns.

On the embankment of the Rijnhaven inlet just behind InHolland’s Rotterdam campus, a new line of high rise housing and a waterfront space is being constructed on an artificial beach laid at the water’s edge. These projects are a symptom of a greater sickness in Rotterdam that threatens to waylay the lives and homes of its poorest in favor of the growth of capital. For public works to be truly successful they must be used, and to be used they must be deemed usable and worthwhile by the surrounding community. Proper urban planning thrives on captivating the wants and needs of its end-customers rather than simply chasing those with the deepest pockets.

We then visited the campus and paused for lunch, later attending a brief presentation about the school’s offerings both domestic and international students. The Business, Finance, and Law department offers many degrees and degree paths, though most popular among which is their paralegal studies program. While not offering entire degrees taught in English, the university hosts semesters taught in English for international students attending InHolland via study abroad opportunities. It was really interesting to see the differences between how university functioned here in the Netherlands versus back home and at Pitt, such as the 1-10 grading scale and especially cost of attendance.

Tomorrow we’ll round off our time in the Netherlands with a visit to Floating Farm and the RDM shipyard. Prior to the trip we assembled into groups to get to know each other and perform some initial research on the companies we’d visit while abroad. My team researched the Floating Farm, so I’m very excited to finally see it in person and get some answers to the questions we formulated during our research.

– Duncan Dockstader