Faculty of Spatial Sciences - University of Groningen

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Nederland
Groningen
Faculty of Spatial Sciences - University of Groningen

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The only independent faculty of Spatial Sciences in the Netherlands. www.rug.nl/frw The faculty conducts both fundamental and applied research.

With two bachelor and seven master programmes, the faculty offers a wide range of courses within the field to about 1000 students. The faculty in Groningen is the only independent faculty of Spatial Sciences in the Netherlands. Bachelor courses:
Human Geography and Planning
Spatial Planning and Design

Master courses:
Economic geography
Environmental and infrastructure planning
Population studies
Research master in Spatial Sciences
Real estate studies
Society, Sustainability and Planning
Opleiding tot leraar voortgezet onderwijs van 1e graad in Aardrijkskunde

The research themes of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences are Wellbeing, Innovation and Spatial Transformation, and the mission of our faculty is to produce research which is world-leading, distinctive, and policy-relevant to these major issues faced by contemporary society.

13/10/2026

Our master students in Economic Geography visited Brussels as part of our annual field trip to the EU institutions. The goal? To see how European policies take shape and how they affect regional development across Europe.

This year, we visited Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU, DG REGIO, the European Committee of the Regions, and the European Commission. We also had very nice discussions with the parliamentary team of MEP Kathleen Funchion and representatives of the REGI EP Committee (European Parliament). We are looking to next year's trip already!

29/09/2026

Lelystad - Housing and urban development for now and the future. Working with the legacies of a short past and vulnerable residents towards liveability and equal opportunities. A must see for every spatial planner.

Our 32 students of 'City Matters: Urban Inequality and Social Justice' (Master Society, Sustainability and Planning) went out on Monday for a full day excursion. Barend Wind (de Alliantie) and Martine Visser, managing director of the housing association Centra welcomed the group in the morning. The day continued with on-site tours, visits, presentations, walks, and a bus tour, about contemporary challenges in social housing (Martine Visser, Centrada), the National Programme Lelystad-Oost (Jop Fackeldey), the redevelopment of the Lelycentre (Wilco van Oosten, INBO), Zuiderzeewijk and Atolwijk (community managers of Centrada) and a bus tour through the diversity of neighbourhoods and their stories (Job Fackeldey).

Course lecturers Christian Lamker & Sander van Lanen thank everyone for taking us to an intensive and deep tour through housing history and potential futures. In particular, thanks to Barend Wind for preparing and guiding us through the whole day.

14/09/2026

Did you know that one of the most photographed spots in Groningen is close to our faculty? Reitdiephaven with its colourful houses offers a harbour, and shops such as Action, Jumbo, and a pet store, amongst others. Just under a kilometer from our building, perfect for a lunch walk!

10/09/2026

Building blocks for successful group collaboration!

Today our Population Studies master students in the course Qualitative Research for Policy and Practice constructed models representing their strengths and potential threats within their teams and used the resulting discussions and insights to draw up a team cooperation agreement.

Strong teams aren't built in a day but we're off to a great start!

25/06/2026

Germany and Ecuador: a demographic tale of two worlds. Germany ages gracefully at 45.7 median years — but shrinks without migration's lifeline. Ecuador stays young at 29.7, yet its talent keeps leaving. Both face 2100 with near-stable populations, but the journeys couldn't look more different 🌍

23/06/2026

🌍 Colombia's population shrinks while DR Congo's nearly quadruples by 2100. With a median age of 15.9 vs 33 and 5.8 kids per woman vs 1.6, these numbers tell a powerful story of demographic destiny. What challenges will these countries be facing in the future based on these numbers?

22/06/2026

Two nations, two trajectories 📊 Norway: aging gracefully (median age 40!), shrinking slightly by 2100. Senegal: young and booming, set to nearly 2.5x its population by 2100! 🇳🇴🇸🇳 Demographics tell the real story behind migration, growth & the future workforce. Which trend surprises you more?

09/06/2026

Students in the master Environmental and Infrastructure Planning presenting their work for the Living Lab course in which they work on a real-life planning issue

05/06/2026

This week the first year’s bachelor Human Geography and Planning students went on fieldwork to Aurich, East-Frisia (Germany) for the Rural Geography course. Using Christaller's central place theory, they performed a spatial analysis of ‘what you find where, and why you find it there’, for different topics such as supermarkets, public transport, GPs, the fire brigade, sports, and regional identity.
During the fieldwork, the students used input from a presentation by the Landkreis Aurich (Regionalplanung) and they gathered primary data to create excellent posters of their project.
On to the next edition!

06/05/2026

An excursion (by bike, of course) with our current exchange students in the Stadspark Groningen

Adres

Landleven 1
Groningen
9747AD

Website

http://www.rug.nl/frw

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