Future Land-use in The Netherlands: Evaluation of the National Spatial Strategy

Abstract

The Netherlands is a small but densely populated country with about 16 million people living in an area of 40,000 km2. The ‘Randstad’ is a highly urbanized area of the country that comprises the major cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, with a combined population of more than 5 million people. This conurbation is the economic heart of the Netherlands. Urban development threatens the natural and historical qualities of the landscape of the ‘Green Heart’, the central open area of this region. The first spatial plans for this area date from 1958 (RPD 1960; WWdL 1958), and these have been updated regularly since then (RPD 1966, 1977, 1988, 1994). New plans have been drawn up for the creation of about 2500 km2 of forests and nature reserves by 2018 (LNV 2002; MNP 2002a). In addition, roughly 1500 km2 of land will be needed for new residential and industrial areas by 2030 (ABF 2002). According to current policy, plans and trends, 10 per cent of the land use will change over the next 30 years. The National Spatial Strategy (VROM et al. 2005), drawn up by the present Dutch Government and prepared to provide a spatial policy framework to guide all of these developments, was adopted by Parliament at the end of 2005.