Centre of Expertise Just City
About us
How can we develop knowledge, skills, methods and (entrepreneurial) practices to use equity as a lens through which to view every challenge in the city? That’s the key question of the Centre of Expertise Just City. Based on practice-oriented research and education, we collaborate with partners in the city to look at the distribution of scarcity and abundance, as well as the benefits and burdens in our society. And towards the realisation of the rights that every resident has, with equal access to procedures and systems.
Many of today's crises require fundamental societal changes and raise questions about fairness, justice and equity. We want to ensure that our students, as well as residents and everyone who makes the city what it is, can address these questions in a well-founded way.
We do not do this alone, but in collaboration with residents, knowledge institutions, social organisations, administrators, the business community and our students. Read more about our partners, networks and opportunities to work with us here.
What can we do for you?
There are various ways to work with us. We’ve listed a few ideas below but please feel free to contact us to further explore and shape the various options.
- Making an impact together. Together, we can bring about change to make the city more equitable and fair through research, innovation and interventions. We also look together for ways to tackle this regionally, nationally or sometimes internationally. We build coalitions and can facilitate links with researchers, lecturers, students or partners in the field.
- Learning and discovering together. Is it inequitable here and, if so, why? Which examples help with possible solutions? What are others doing and why? We can learn and assess together in a more equitable way, with room for reflexivity and stories. We work based on the importance of pre-existing (experiential) knowledge and on building collective knowledge (community-based knowledge). We organise events and encourage the exchange of knowledge and experiences.
- Applying things together. We create and compile working practices, tools and methodologies for students and professionals to look at issues through the lens of equity. We apply these methods together in courses, educational modules and Communities of Practice. Our role in an initiative can vary. We set up our own projects and coalitions, drive initiatives, shine a spotlight on relevant initiatives and support the sharing of knowledge about the equitable city. We develop working methods and provide courses on how to apply them.
Organisation
The Centre of Expertise consists of a core team of a programme manager, two scientific directors, programme developers and support staff. We also have a board of deans and an advisory board. We'd love to meet you!
What is a Centre of Expertise?
Centres of Expertise are public-private (or public-public) partnerships between universities of applied sciences and the professional field, with a clear focus on societal challenges. The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is the initiator of and/or involved in seven Centres of Expertise that work on various issues.