Teaching Collaboration with the Academy of Architecture, Amsterdam University of the Arts

In the winter semester of 2025–26, the Institute of Urbanism at Graz University of Technology initiated a collaboration with the Department of Urbanism at the Academy of Architecture (AHK) in Amsterdam. The course “Post-Extraction Territories” focused on the surrounding area of the Dutch city of Groningen, which has been affected by earthquakes following decades of natural gas extraction. Students from both institutions engaged with spatial and social future scenarios for the region, developing disaster management strategies that are also applicable to other natural events. In October 2025, they also visited key sites to inform a spatial vision. Conversations and discussions with local planners, experts, and decision-makers helped to refine the project approaches. During a final workshop in Amsterdam, the concepts and strategies were tested using various future-thinking methods and critically reflected upon in discussions with the course leaders Mario Stefan (Graz University of Technology), Andrew Kitching (AHK), and Hedwig van der Linden (AHK).

Mario Stefan