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.
Opening
Bureau Europa warmly invites you to the opening of the exhibition Big Plans. 10 Women Urbanists Shape the Modern World on Wednesday, 1 October 2025.
The doors will open at 4:00 PM.
At 4:30 PM, curator Catja Edens will give a lecture on ten female urbanists and the emancipatory impact of their work. Catja Edens is an architectural historian and lecturer at TU Delft and the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design. She was previously a research fellow at the Future Urban Regions research group and a member of the Curatorial Research Collective at TU Eindhoven. She is currently pursuing PhD research at the University of Antwerp on the archiving of female architects.
In addition, artist Öznur Özturk will present work in the corner room from two key series that together represent her artistic journey—a dialogue between past and present, heritage and transformation, and her position between different cultures and identities.
The opening will continue until 6:30 PM. The exhibition will be on view until 2 November 2025.
We look forward to welcoming you to Bureau Europa!
Colofon
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.
Thanks to: Sergio M. Figueiredo, Emilie Banville, Galo Canizares, Catja Edens, Jorn Konijn, Michael Forero Parra, Simon Rabyniuk and Cassim Shepard. With assistance of Bob Colenbrander, Didem Savas and Vincent van Spaendonk.
Graphic design by Lukas Großmann.
Image: Frank Hanswijk
Dates Wednesday 1 October – Sunday 2 November 2025
Location Bureau Europa, platform for architecture and design
Admission Regular rates apply