Human Geography and Planning

Do you want to know where to build what types of houses to solve the housing crisis? Do you wonder why climate change has different consequences in different regions?

Do you dare to ask critical questions about how different places develop to help remake a better world? Then Human Geography & Planning is the right choice for you!

During this programme, you learn to investigate society in its geographic context. You will learn to explain how and why cities and regions develop differently, and how this relates to where and when these developments take place. For example, why do some regions benefit more from globalisation than others? Or, what are the consequences of population decline for people living in shrinking regions? And, how can you work together with different organisations to plan and build suitable residential areas?

You will learn to answer such questions and use this knowledge to create new ideas and develop the places that we live in today and in the future. The programme covers a wide variety of topics, including urban development, globalisation and labour markets, migration, and urban and regional planning. Geographers and planners combine these topics with a spatial perspective to make the world we live in a better place; making places better together.

Why study this programme in Groningen?

If you want to study Human Geography & Planning, Groningen is the perfect choice. The strength of the programme lies in its combination of five fields: Economic Geography, Real Estate Studies, Population Studies, Cultural Geography and Planning. There is an open atmosphere and it is easy to contact other students and lecturers.