A New Chapter

The International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP) has returned to its roots in the Netherlands, marking a new phase in its century-long mission to connect global professionals in housing and urban planning. Last week in Rotterdam marked a significant milestone in the federation’s long history: the relocation of its headquarters from Copenhagen to Rotterdam, where it will now operate from a shared base with Vereniging Deltametropool.

The move was celebrated through a series of roundtables, legal and governance meetings, and strategic exchanges that set the foundation for IFHP’s renewed international agenda. The transition was formally confirmed through the initiation of legal procedures and the hosting of a series of roundtable meetings, governance sessions, and strategic discussions. Together, they symbolised not only an institutional move but also the renewal of a shared mission, to foster international collaboration around housing, spatial planning, and sustainable urban development.

Roundtable Discussion: The Housing Dilemma

The week opened with the public roundtable “The Housing Dilemma: Affordability Now vs. Resilience Tomorrow”, co-hosted by IFHP and Vereniging Deltametropool at the Toekomstatelier Oostkop, Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The session gathered a diverse group of housing experts, policymakers, academics, and practitioners from across Europe to address the increasingly urgent question: how can we accelerate affordable housing production while ensuring ecological and social resilience?

Participants dialogued over the affordability and resilience and how they must no longer be seen as competing goals. Instead, the real challenge lies in aligning immediate needs with the structural transformations required for a sustainable future. As several speakers noted, this involves strengthening the connection between bottom-up initiatives, community efforts, local experiments, design innovations, and top-down policy frameworks that shape national and European agendas.

This discussion set a clear direction for IFHP’s renewed agenda: reconnecting planning practice with social and environmental values, and facilitating knowledge exchange between scales, actors, and regions. The roundtable’s reflections will be integrated into the final sessions of the IFHP x VDM Learning Lab series, which continues later this year.

Roundtable Discussion: Panorama in Practice – Ukraine

The following morning, the focus shifted to Panorama in Practice – Ukraine, a more intimate, sensitive and deeply reflective dialogue on the role of international collaboration in post-conflict reconstruction.

Facilitated by Henk Ovink, with a keynote presentation by Derek Hoeferlin, the discussion brought together representatives from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Deltares, UNUN and various partner organisations involved in ongoing initiatives around water, housing, and governance. The conversation highlighted the need for an ethical, systemic approach, one that prioritises long-term capacity building, community well-being, and environmental restoration over short-term reconstruction of Ukraine or any conflicted regions.

Participants agreed that addressing crises such as Ukraine’s demands both technical expertise and moral sensitivity. IFHP’s international network can play a critical convening role, linking efforts across geographies and ensuring that urban reconstruction contributes to inclusive, peaceful, and resilient futures. VDM will continue to facilitate these dialogues, and participants have been invited to contribute short reflections outlining their ongoing work and ideas for collaboration. The outcomes will inform a shared agenda for collective action over the coming months.

Strategic Discussions

Amidst the formal sessions, strategic reflections continued over dinner between the new and old board members and team of IFHP. The gathering served as an informal yet vital space for exchange among board members, advisors, and local partners.

The evening conversations centred on the future direction of IFHP, exploring how the organisation could once again serve as a global bridge between research, policy, and design practice. The themes of housing justice, climate adaptation, and integrated regional development emerged as key threads for the federation’s new programmatic agenda.

These discussions reaffirmed that IFHP’s return to Rotterdam is not merely administrative, it is an invitation to co-create, to experiment with new forms of learning, and to strengthen ties between international and local networks.

Legal Meeting and Transition Formalities

The transition was initiated through a legal meeting with the notary in Rotterdam, concluding the relocation of IFHP’s headquarters from Copenhagen. This milestone marks a renewed organisational structure, rooted in collaboration and operational efficiency. The final handover from Copenhagen to Rotterdam will be taking place in the upcoming weeks.

The federation will now operate from a shared base with Vereniging Deltametropool, supported by joint staff and coordinated programming. This shared infrastructure is intended to enhance synergy between IFHP’s global mission and VDM’s ongoing work on European spatial development, metropolitan governance, and climate transitions.

IFHP Board and Ordinary Council Meetings

During the week, IFHP also convened its Board Meeting and Ordinary Council Meeting, focusing on governance renewal and strategic continuity.

Two new members, Erik Pasveer and Maurits Schaafsma, were elected to join the IFHP Board. Their extensive experience in spatial strategy and metropolitan development will bring strong perspectives from the Dutch planning context into the organisation’s global dialogue.

Esther Agricola has been appointed as the new President and Katy Lock as the new Vice President, building upon and further advancing the strategic directions established by former Presidents Gary Klassen and Klaus-Peter Hillebrand. Additionally, Paul Gerretsen was appointed as CEO, and Alankrita Sarkar as Director of Operations. They join the existing board members and team to lead IFHP into this new phase.

Together, the board outlined a vision to strengthen member engagement, build new partnerships, and develop a knowledge-driven agenda aligned with the pressing housing and planning challenges of our time.

Cheers on Champagne: Marking a Milestone

The formal meetings concluded on a celebratory note, with champagne and reflection. It was a symbolic moment, recognising the effort, trust, and collaboration that made the transition possible. The toast in Rotterdam was not about nostalgia. It was about renewal, of commitment, of energy, and of purpose. The federation now stands ready to build the next century of housing and planning dialogue from a city that itself embodies resilience, openness, inclusion and innovation.

Continuing Partnership and Next Steps

The coming months will focus on consolidating IFHP’s partnership with Deltametropool. Together, the organisations will co-develop projects, learning platforms, and knowledge exchanges that connect local expertise to global agendas. The IFHP x VDM Learning Labs, already underway, will remain a key vehicle for collective exploration and agenda-setting.

This shared future is built on continuity as much as change. IFHP’s relocation to Rotterdam reconnects a historic institution with a contemporary urban laboratory, one that thrives on collaboration, experimentation, and forward-looking planning. From its new base in the Netherlands, IFHP is ready to continue its mission: connecting professionals, institutions, and communities to shape housing and planning for the challenges and possibilities of the 21st century.

If you would like to learn more, explore collaboration opportunities, or simply connect with us over a cup of coffee, you are warmly welcome to visit our office or reach out via email at info@ifhp.org.