PhD position in Spatial Planning

Faculty: 

Faculty of Geosciences

Department: 

Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning

Hours per week: 

36 to 40

Application deadline: 

8 May 2026

As a successful candidate, you will be part of the international research project “Follow the money! REconstructing Belief systems behind Urban Intensification and Land-rent Distribution (REBUILD)”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Focusing on case studies in the Netherlands and Switzerland, the project aims to better understand urban densification as a contested process of land rent creation and redistribution, thereby exposing tensions among actors, values, discourses, and representations. 

We hypothesize that entrenched discourses around land rent reproduce growth-oriented logics in densification projects, systematically obstructing the achievement of densification’s proclaimed sustainability goals. 

Specifically, the PhD position at Utrecht University focuses on how environmental and design requirements, such as sustainability standards, material choices, and architectural competitions, are negotiated within densification projects. By revealing how discourses around land rent influence project-level governance, this research identifies leverage points for steering densification towards more sustainable trajectories and enriches the post-growth debate in spatial planning.

Under the guidance of senior members of the project, based at Utrecht University, the University of Bern, the University of Lausanne, and the TU Delft, as well as in different professional organizations, you will conduct your main research in the Netherlands and Switzerland. You will be affiliated with the Department of Human Geography & Spatial Planning at Utrecht University, and work closely together with partners at the other universities involved in REBUILD, including Prof. Jean-David Gerber at the University of Bern.

Tasks 

• Analyze how densification is performed in cities, focusing on how environmental and design requirements are defined and negotiated in practice. Examine how actors legitimate their positions through discourses, and how institutional arrangements resolve, or fail to resolve, tensions between land-rent creation (economic viability), redistribution (social equity), and alignment with planetary boundaries (ecological limits).
• Conduct field research in the Netherlands and Switzerland over extended periods of time.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues and partners of the REBUILD project in Switzerland and the Netherlands; participate in project publications, research workshops, and other events; build a network with practitioners; and contribute to the project’s overall communication strategy
• Present your research at scientific conferences
• Publish results in international peer-reviewed journals
• Support and contribute to teaching activities within the department (max. 10%).

• A Master’s degree in Human Geography, Spatial Planning, or related social sciences disciplines;
• Methodological skills in case study analysis and comparative analysis are desired; experience in institutional analysis or discourse analysis, or GIS is a plus;
• Excellent command of English; knowledge of at least one language of the project (German, French or Dutch) is a plus;
• Demonstrated interest in urban development is desirable, as well as good knowledge of the  Dutch or Swiss planning system;
• You are a team player who can work in a precise, engaged, and self-organized manner. In addition, you must have the skills and commitment to work in an interdisciplinary field.

We offer:

• a position (1.0 FTE) for 1 year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 36 - 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and €3.881 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development , various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities . You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University .

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University , the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes . Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow .

Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

For more information about this position, please contact Dr Josje Bouwmeester
external link
at j.a.bouwmeester@uu.nl

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home  for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

Knowledge security screening can be part of the selection procedures of academic staff. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology.

Please provide, via the 'apply now' button, your letter of motivation, your CV (including a copy of university transcripts), and contact details of two references (no reference letters needed at this stage) together as a single PDF document. Additionally, please send us a sample of your writing (e.g., a chapter of your master's thesis) in a separate PDF. 

For full consideration, submit your materials by May 8, 2026. Interviews are expected to take place at the end of May.

The application deadline is 8 May 2026.