ArjenvdBurg

1. National Spatial Planning
in The Netherlands:
New Directions
47th ISOCARP Congress, Wuhan, China, 2011
Arjen J. van der Burg,
Ministry of Infrastructure and The Environment, The Hague

2. Overview
1. Introduction: country and history
2. Why new policies?
3. 2011: National Policy Strategy for
Infrastructure and Spatial Planning
4. Conclusion: planning reverts to basics

3. (1) The Netherlands in NW Europe
Randstad North Wing –
Amsterdam-Utrecht region
Randstad South Wing –
Rotterdam-The Hague region
Eindhoven
region
Germany, Ruhr
gebiet
Belgium, Vlaan
deren

4. A planning history of 70 years
1960 2010
Mainports: Port of Rotterdam
Randstad + Green Heart Urban renewal
+ Schiphol Airport

5. Planning history
New Town Houten Vinex covenants
• National Spatial Planning driven by post-war expansion and renewal
(housing, industry, infrastructure, nature, agriculture)
• Urban expansion lost momentum in most regions
• National spatial planning has to offer its expertise to other land uses

6. (2) Why new policies?
1. Economic crisis and budget cuts
2. New political priorities
3. Unpleasant realities (lessons for planners)
4. “New” land uses

7. National Policy Strategy Infrastructure &
Spatial Planning
Ambition 2040
Competetive, accessible, liveable & safe
“Decentralisation and simplification”
7

8. (3) National Interests
1. Outstanding business 8. Improving environmental
climate in urban regions quality
2. Energy network and 9. Adaptation to climate
transition change
3. Pipeline network 10. Preservation of unique
4. Use of subsurface cultural heritage
5. Robust rail, road and 11. Network for wildlife
waterway network habitats
6. Better use of existing 12. Military sites
network capacity 13. Careful and transparent
7. Maintenance of existing planning decisions
transport networks

9. National Interest 1: Business Climate
• Better business climate in urban regions with economic top-sectors
around mainports, brainport and greenports
• Support for infrastructure and development projects

10. National Interest 5: Robust rail, road and
waterway network
.
• Space and budget reserved for
expansion of highways, railways and canals
• Putting users first:
new multimodal Mobility Indicator

11. National Interest 10: Preservation of
unique cultural heritage
National Landscapes

12. National Interest 13: Careful and
transparent planning decisions
• Radical simplification of “environmental” laws
• Binding rules in a bye-law
• Planning help for municipalities and provinces through state
architects, design, research facilities
• Spatial information universally available digitally
12

13. National Policy Strategy on one map
13 22 november 2011

14. (4) “Decentralisation and simplification”

15. Former national interests
What used to be the urban policy:
• National urban networks and
•Urbanisation Package Deals
growth boundaries

16. Former national interests
The Hague – Wassenaar - Leiden
Buffer zones between major cities

17. (5) Conclusion:
National planning must revert to basics
• Reduction of national spatial
planning for the occupation layer
to major urban nodes in Randstad
Holland
• Growing importance of
subsurface and network layers
creates new fields of action for
national spatial planning in
conjunction with national network
planning