The exhibition Big Plans. 10 women urbanists shape the modern world shows lives and works of ten women urbanists of the 20th century: Luz Amorocho, Catherine Bauer, Eulie Chowdhury, Jane Drew, Renée Gailhoustet, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Carmen Portinho, Flora Ruchat-Roncati, Jaqueline Tyrwhitt and Beverly Willis.
We are gradually getting used to the names of women architects, but the women urban planners of the 20th century are still a relatively unknown group. It was precisely in large-scale design that they recognised an emancipatory force. In modernist urbanism, they saw opportunities to shape a society that sought to meet the challenges of urbanisation, industrialisation and decolonisation while improving the conditions of women, lower-income people and other marginalised groups. Another interesting aspect is the collective authorship we see in their work. Collaboration - as a couple, as a collective, within organisations, journals or, for example, education - was common and provided a pooling of strengths, insights and perspectives deployed for projects around the world.
These women not only planned entire regions, cities, and neighborhoods, but also engaged in legislation, developed computer programs, and produced publications in the fields of urban planning and design. By highlighting the work of these pioneering women, a new chapter is added to the historiography of 20th-century urbanism. What unites the work of these female urban planners is their belief in the emancipatory power of urban planning — a power meant for all residents, across all social classes.
Big Plans will be on view from 1 October through 2 November at Bureau Europa. Featuring work by Carmen Portino, Catharine Bauer, Jaqueline Tyrwhitt, Jane Drew, Luz Amorocho, Eulie Chowdhury, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Beverly Willis, Renée Gailhoustet, and Flora Ruchat-Roncati.
The exhibition is initiated and curated by Curatorial Research Collective and was previously shown at the Van Eesteren Museum in Amsterdam and Casa Vertigo in Eindhoven.
Image: Frank Hanswijk
Dates Wednesday 1 October – Sunday 2 November 2025
Location Bureau Europa, platform for architecture and design
Admission Regular rates apply