PhD Position Urban Planning and Design of Manufacturing Functions in Cities, Case Studies Rotterdam and Athens

Want to discover and co-create how we will plan and design manufacturing in cities? Come and join us!

We are searching for a four-year full-time PhD candidate. Your PhD research project will serve as an integral part of the recently awarded Horizon Europe Research In Action Project FABRIX (Fostering local, beautiful, and sustainably designed regenerative textile and clothing ecosystems). The urgency to retain manufacturing functions in urban regions is growing after decades of planning ‘post-industrial’ cities. There are several reasons for this, including the need for diversified jobs in cities, the necessity to remanufacture products as locally as possible in a circular economy, and the promotion of innovation from tacit to productional knowledge. The latter is increasingly driven by geopolitical rationales. While these reasons gain (political) momentum, the process is anything but easy.

The planning and design of cities must evolve to develop ideas, instruments, and processes on how to facilitate (regenerative) manufacturing functions in urban regions without compromising the so-called ‘good planning practice.’ This practice aims to spatially balance functions, patterns, nature, etc. FABRIX will address this societal urgency by concentrating on the textile and clothing sector. This sector offers crucial insights into social (in)justice, sustainability, innovation, production, consumption, geopolitics, and planning, which links to design and arts; insights that are relevant for numerous other sectors. Initially, we will examine two case studies: Rotterdam (providing insights into the more innovation start-up-driven parts of clothing and textile) and Athens (providing insights into the more production-oriented aspects of clothing and textile).

In your PhD research, you will assist in developing a planning framework, planning process, and design strategies for local, beautiful, and sustainable urban regions, using the textile and clothing sector as a perspective. Initially, you will contribute to WP1 to establish the theoretical, conceptual, and methodological frameworks of FABRIX. Subsequently, in collaboration with your supervisors and the consortium (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Athens University of Economics & Business, AIDIMME Instituto Tecnologico, OSMOS Network, CEDECS-TCBL, SOFFA The Nest Social Fashion Factory, Roadmapper and Municipality of Rotterdam), you will co-create strategies to plan and design these urban manufacturing areas. Additionally, you will support the latter by testing and implementing the platform MANTEL (developed by other partners in the consortium) designed to aid areas in progressing.

The PhD will be executed at the Delft University of Technology within the Department of Management in the Built Environment , in the Urban Development Management section. You will be supervised and work closely with Dr. Karel Van den Berghe, the Principal Investigator of FABRIX.

It is expected that you:

• have a MSc. in spatial or social sciences, such as geography, spatial planning, governance, spatial management, or urbanism. But enthusiasm weights more!
• execute a thorough literature study as well as performing interviews with relevant research, private, and public actors.
• co-create together with the consortium and other relevant partners a strategy to plan and design urban manufacturing areas.

The following qualifications are a plus:

• Experience with working with and visualising spatial data in its broad understanding.
• Be able to speak Dutch or willing to learn.
• Can write in English.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service . This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty’s success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy from early in the morning until late at night, with four thousand people studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research’, which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Karel Van den Berghe, email: [email protected] . 

For information about the application procedure, please contact Paulien Stastra, HR advisor, e-mail:
[email protected] .   

The position will remain open until 4 February 2024 (local Dutch time + 2 hrs). You must apply via the "Apply now" button. Applications via e-mail will not be processed.   

Are you interest in this vacancy? Please upload the following mandatory documents:

• Detailed CV with contact information for 2 referees.
• Detailed transcripts of university grades.
• MSc thesis.
• Motivation letter (1-2 pages) that should address your vision of the project and how you would fit for the advertised position.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-Employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.