On 4 October 2012, Hanneke Weststrate presented some ideas about her PhD research proposal at the SPS Seminar series. Hanneke is a Masters in Architecture at Bouwkunde, but has since then shifted her focus to humanitarian aid and urban management.
Hanneke has worked in several humanitarian organizations that tend to refugees in case of conflict or natural disasters, first in Haiti, in the aftermath of the earthquake, and then more recently in Lebanon (tending to Syrian civil-war refugees).
Hanneke is interested in the effectiveness of urban management frameworks used by international humanitarian agencies. In fact, these agencies have a huge impact on urban reconstruction and urban development following conflict and natural disasters. Their strategies can be analyzed in the light of recent developments in planning theory, as for their effectiveness to help populations in distress, ethical values, and respect for local values and cultures.
Hanneke is in the preliminary stages of her research and members of the SPS Chair offered input on the development of her research proposal. She might be pursuing her PhD elsewhere than the TU Delft.
