The urban dormitory

Abstract

Globalized universities located in small cities are expanding at a rate beyond the spatial capacity of its host city. The resulting presence of student housing in these cities known as ‘studentification’, have cascading social, cultural, economic, and spatial impacts that lead to, in particular, a lack of co-existence and tolerance between the university community and the local community. Existing research have primarily focused on how studentification has materialized in cities through negative consequences. As the influx of students continue to increase in an unprecedented rate in Delft, a need to understand fundamental conditions that contribute to negative consequences arise in order to propose strategic interventions for their mitigation and transformation. This research aimed to thoroughly understand the studentification process in Delft and recommend a long-term strategic plan towards co-existence. The methods used in this research involved delimiting or expanding on practices of other European cities experiencing studentification through the political, spatial, and socio-cultural lens of Delft. Through this research, the urgency and complexity of studentification were clarified and called for a comprehensive approach that transcended conventional practices.