Livestream 65 years of making cities work

On 26 October 2023, IHS celebrated its 65th anniversary bringing together students, staff, alumni and partners. The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies is a research, advisory, and education institute. As IHS nowadays operates in a highly international field, the event was shared with the world by livestream.

ABOUT IHS
IHS was established during the period of Rotterdam’s post-Second-World-War reconstruction. As the international arm of the BouwcentrumOpens external, IHS had the task of communicating the knowledge gained, through the development of the city and its housing, to government authorities in developing countries. 65 years on, times have changed. Worldwide, cities are growing at an explosive rate. Along with the considerable expertise IHS has accumulated during the last half-century, the institute has built up an international urban management network enabling IHS to help managers, government officials, and policymakers improve how cities function across the globe.

The 3rd of November, 2023, marks exactly 65 years since the first International Course on Building (ICB) started at the Bouwcentrum. The course had nine participants and lasted for five months, and it was the start of what would later become IHS. Since the course began in 1958, several thousands of urban professionals have undergone training at the Rotterdam-based institute. Hundreds of professionals have participated in tailor-made programmes held in their countries of origin.

BOUWCENTRUM
The Bouwcentrum was a private, non-profit development institute for housing, building and physical planning. It was established in 1946, immediately after the Second World War and was an initiative of the Association of Dutch Architects and the Central College of Construction.

One of its main missions was to develop methodologies and technologies to foster the rapid construction of affordable and adequate housing in response to the shortages of the post-war period, as a bombardment severely damaged Rotterdam during the Second World War. The Bouwcentrum officially opened in 1948 in what was known as the round building in the heart of Rotterdam. It grew rapidly into a huge institution renowned for its extensive knowledge and experience. Rotterdam, meanwhile, grew to become a city known internationally for its innovations in housing and architecture.

ERASMUS UNIVERSITY
In January 2000, IHS moved premises to the Woudestein campus of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. At the time, IHS was undergoing a complex reorganisation process that resulted in an institutional adjustment of the way of work and programme offered.

LIVESTREAM TECH
The livestream was conducted with of a 3 camera setup combined with Powerpoint slides and 7 wireless handheld microphones.