The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, based at Erasmus University Rotterdam's Woudestein campus, traces its origins to 1958. It emerged from the Bouwcentrum, established in 1946 to rebuild Rotterdam after wartime destruction, initially offering the five-month International Course on Building to train planners and engineers from developing countries. Renamed several times—Institute for Housing Studies in 1982, then its current form in 1990—it integrated with Erasmus University in 2000 and became an independent company in 2004.
Today, IHS combines postgraduate education, advisory services, and applied research focused on urban management, housing, and planning, primarily for Global South governments. It runs MSc programmes in Urban Management and Development and Urban Governance, plus PhD tracks, drawing from staff fieldwork. Key research areas include urban land governance, climate resilience, housing equity, and green infrastructure. Alumni number over 13,000 professionals across 143 countries, working in organisations like UN-Habitat, World Bank, and national housing agencies. In 2007, it received a UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour for its programmes. Recent collaborations involve networks like SAIL institutes and IBSA-HS for South-South exchanges.