Erwin Heurkens is an assistant professor in Urban Development Management at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Management in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology. His academic work focuses on 'Sustainable Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects'. His expertise involves public-private partnerships, urban development management, real estate development, institutional economics, and international comparative studies. Within market-driven planning and development practices, he studies the relationship between planning policies and market decisions, and investigates the roles of and interactions between private organisations (property developers, investors and owners), and public organisations (local planning authorities) in delivering sustainable urban development projects.

Since his PhD "Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects" (2012), international comparative perspectives have been key in his work. Erwin co-edited the books "International Approaches to Real Estate Development" (2015) and "Routledge Companion to Real Estate Development" (2018), published numerous scientific and professional journal articles, and carries out practical studies for governments and the building industry. Currently, he participates in an European H2020 research project called REPAiR, studying the governance of circular urban redevelopment projects. Erwin teaches in many Bachelor, Master and post-Master courses, and is the main instructor for the Sustainable Building Adaptation MOOC.