The Summer School Planning and Design for the Just City will take place in JULY 2024 at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The next application period is from 1 DEC 2023 to 8 FEB 2024 (deadline extended).
There are 100 places available. TU Delft will contact applicants after the selection process .
The Summer School Planning and Design with Water for Sustainability takes place every JULY at the Department of Urbanism of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The Faculty of Architecture is located in the historic city of Delft, in The Netherlands. There have been 8 editions of the Summer School so far.
The School is organised by the Chair of Spatial Planning and Strategy, in partnership with international partners.
WHO CAN APPLY?
In order to participate you need to be enrolled in a higher education course* [However, we also accept students who have graduated recently. Please, explain your situation in your letter of motivation]. The school is intended for students who have had at least 3 years of higher education in a discipline related to the built environment/ urban development.
A planning, architectural or design background is indicated, but not necessary. The Summer School welcomes architects, urban planners, engineers, designers, geographers, historians, sociologists, engineers, environmental engineers, and students of other areas concerned with the built environment. However, you must be willing to understand URBANISM.
We are looking for ENGAGED, enthusiastic, entrepreneurial, open minded progressive students from all over the world who can help bring back ideas to their communities.
HOW ARE PARTICIPANTS SELECTED?
There is only a limited number of places (100). Students are chosen according to their background, a motivation letter and a very short movie in which candidates introduce themselves. We cannot evaluate your portfolio or extensive CV.
Therefore, it is really important that you explain why you want to participate in this summer school and how it can help your PERSONAL, ACADEMIC and PROFESSIONAL development in the motivation letter. You can tell us what makes you special by letting us know what are your passions, interests, hobbies and extra-curricular activities. Why are you different? Are you an activist? What are your aspirations? Do you make your opinions known by writing and publishing or by any other means of expression? Maybe you have a BLOG? You need to make your point in 800 words and in a 3-minute film. Here are instructions on how to write a good letter. Here are instructions on how to make a good introduction movie.
PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH
The language of the Summer School is English; hence you need to be able to communicate well in that language. You need to mention what your level of proficiency in English is in the motivation letter. This is important because the vocabulary used at the Summer School is rather sophisticated. Hence, you will not enjoy it if you don’t speak English well.
FEE AND OTHER COSTS
The fee for the Summer School is 600 Euros. Payment instructions are sent to students who have been selected to participate in the Summer School. There are a few scholarships available, and they are explained HERE.
WHAT DOES THE FEE COVER?
The participation fees cover all activities connected to the Summer School, including social activities, a number of meals, materials, site visits and the final certificate. Fees do not cover accommodation, travelling costs and your normal meals. Students must pay for their own accommodation and food. TU Delft can you advice on how to find accommodation in Delft for the period of the Summer School, but you are responsible for finding your own accommodation. You must be in Delft at least one day before the beginning of the Summer School and you may leave after the delivery of certificates.
WHY SO CHEAP?
We often get asked why this Summer School is so cheap compared to similar schools offered by other top universities around the world. We keep a low-fee policy because we do not want to select participants based on their ability to pay. Our goal is to have a diverse, dynamic group of students who are future leaders in their communities. Moreover, we do not provide accommodation. We believe students are really good finding their own accomodation (friends, Airbnb, hostels and other solutions).
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Nationals from the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, US, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and many other countries do not need a VISA to enter the Schengen Area in Europe. You can check if you need a visa HERE.
TU Delft provides invitation letters for foreign students who need to apply for a visa after careful investigation. However, TU Delft is not responsible for the granting of the visa. Only the Dutch authorities may grant you a visa, at their discretion. We advise you to get information about visa requirements at the Dutch Consulate website of your country of origin as soon as possible. Visa applications might take some time to complete. You can get basic information about student visas HERE.
Again, TU Delft is not responsible for the delivery of a visa to you.
The Dutch visa allows you to travel within the Schengen Area. The Schengen area includes most EU states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Note that this area does not include the UK, Ireland and other countries in the European Union. Please, make absolutely sure you know what kind of visa, if any, you need.
CORONA VIRUS
You will need to comply with whatever national health regulations are in place at the moment of the summer school. We follow the Dutch National Government’s public health policies and TU Delft implementation of those policies.
We have a detailed CORONA VIRUS POLICY explained HERE.
APPLICATION IN 9 STEPS:
STEP 1: Please, read the information on the website carefully.
STEP 2: Please, read the online form carefully (link below), so you know what texts you need to prepare and what documents you need to submit. We advise you to write the texts you need to write in WORD and SAVE them, so you can paste them on the form. We also advise you to prepare your introduction video beforehand.
STEP 3: Write your 800-word motivation letter after reading our tips on how to write it. (Don’t forget to check for grammar and spelling! A badly written motivation letter is a put-off!). Write your motivation letter in WORD, and save it.
STEP 4: Prepare your introduction video following our instructions. Make a very short (3 minutes maximum) video with your phone or camera and save it. In this video, you can introduce yourself, tell us where you live, where and what you studied, the main challenges you see in your city and say why you wish to participate in the Summer School. DO NOT FORGET TO LABEL ALL DOCS YOU SEND US WITH YOUR FIRST NAME+LAST NAME. Example: MARY+SMITH.
STEP 5: Fill in the form below carefully and as completely as possible. We cannot process your application without the information required in the form. If you don’t have a passport now, or if your passport will expire soon, write “I will provide it later”.
STEP 6: Upload your motivation letter + introduction video to the specific fields in the form and the answers to specific questions.
STEP 7: Submit the form and wait for the confirmation email.
STEP 8: Check if you have received a confirmation email saying that you filled the form correctly. If you have not received the confirmation email, please check whether the email you provided us is correct.
STEP 9: Wait for our response. We will get back to you two weeks after the end of the subscription period.
*If you are pre-selected, we will ask you to mail us proof that you are enrolled in a higher education course. If you are not enrolled in a course right now, you can still participate, but please send us an email to discuss your case. Write to summerschool-bk@tudelft.nl
TU Delft Planning and Design for the Just City 