TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SUBURB LESSONS FROM THE NETHERLANDS by ANNIE FORBES LUX A Masters Project submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Regional Planning in the Department of City and Regional Planning. Chapel Hill 2007 Approved by: _________________________ ______________________ READER (optional) ADVISOR Towards a Sustainable Suburb Lessons from the Netherlands By Annie Forbes Lux A Masters Project submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Regional Planning in the Department of City and Regional Planning. Towards a Sustainable Suburb : Lessons from the Netherlands TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................1 TABLE OF FIGURES .............................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................4 HOUSING POLICY IN THE EU ...................................................................................................................................5 SUSTAINABILITY IN THE EU .....................................................................................................................................7 SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NETHERLANDS ..................................................................................................................9 Policy Incentives ................................................................................................................................................10 Economic Incentives ..........................................................................................................................................10 Taxes and Laws ..................................................................................................................................................11 Guidance ............................................................................................................................................................11 THE DUTCH HOUSING ENVIRONMENT ..................................................12 DEVELOPMENT HISTORY : 1851-1990 .....................................................................................................................13 DUTCH MARKET RESEARCH ..................................................................................................................................19 VINEX .....................................................................................................................21 HISTORY .................................................................................................................................................................21 REVISION ................................................................................................................................................................22 VINEX TYPOLOGY .................................................................................................................................................22 IMPLEMENTATION ..................................................................................................................................................24 CRITICISM ...............................................................................................................................................................25 CASE STUDIES ....................................................................................................26 LEIDSCHE RIJN ........................................................................................................................................................26 Location ..............................................................................................................................................................26 Site Design .........................................................................................................................................................26 Transportation ...................................................................................................................................................27 Neighborhoods ....................................................................................................................................................28 Differentiators – Sustainability .........................................................................................................................30 The Site Today ...................................................................................................................................................31 NESSELANDE ..........................................................................................................................................................33 Location ..............................................................................................................................................................33 Transportation ...................................................................................................................................................33 Neighborhoods ....................................................................................................................................................34 Parks ..................................................................................................................................................................36 The Site Today ...................................................................................................................................................37 Lessons ...............................................................................................................................................................37 YPENBURG ..............................................................................................................................................................38 Location ..............................................................................................................................................................38 Transportation ...................................................................................................................................................38 Site Design .........................................................................................................................................................38 Neighborhoods ....................................................................................................................................................39 The Site Today ...................................................................................................................................................40 1 Towards a Sustainable Suburb : Lessons from the Netherlands LOOKING BACK: DID VINEX WORK? ........................................................41 COMPROMISES ........................................................................................................................................................41 MARKET CONDITIONS ............................................................................................................................................42 WHY THE SHORTAGE ?............................................................................................................................................42 The economic environment ................................................................................................................................42 Regulations ........................................................................................................................................................43 Costs ...................................................................................................................................................................43 LOOKING TO THE FUTURE ...........................................................................44 WHAT CAN THE US EMULATE? ...................................................................46 2 Towards a Sustainable Suburb : Lessons from the Netherlands TABLE OF FIGURES FIGURE 1 - ENERGY CERTIFICATE (EU) 9 FIGURE 2 - AREA BELOW SEA LEVEL (NETHERLANDS MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS) 9 FIGURE 3 – NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING (RUIMTEXMILEAU.NL) 12 FIGURE 4 – RANDSTAD AND THE GREEN HEART (WWW.GROENE-HART.NL) 13 FIGURE 5 - AMSTERDAM PLAN 1930'S (NAI) 14 FIGURE 6 – ROTTERDAM CENTRUM (ROTTERDAM IN DE TWEEDED WERELDOORLOG) 15 FIGURE 7 – CONCENTRATED DECONCENTRATION (FALUDI) 16 FIGURE 8 – SKETCH OF COMPACT DEVELOPMENT (3 RD NOTA) 17 FIGURE 9 – VINEX LOCATIONS, BY UNITS (RUIMTELIJK PLANBUREAU) 21 FIGURE 10 – SKETCH OF A, B, C LOCATIONS (4 TH NOTA) 23 FIGURE 11 – GROUND FLOOR OF TYPICAL DWELLING 23 FIGURE 12 – SITE PLAN (CONSTRUCTION BROCHURE) 26 FIGURE 13 – BRIDGE OVER A2 (MAXWAN) 27 FIGURE 14 - PLAN ELEMENTS (MAXWAN) 27 FIGURE 15 - PARKWIJK (NEIGHBORHOOD WEBSITE) 28 FIGURE 16 - VELDHUIZEN (NEIGHBORHOOD WEBSITE) 29 FIGURE 17 – NEW CENTRUM (MAXWAN) 30 FIGURE 18 - WADI (NEIGHBORHOOD WEBSITE) 30 FIGURE 19 - LEIDSCHE RIJN DIG (FECTIO) 31 FIGURE 20 - DEMONSTRATION HOUSE (ABA-I) 31 FIGURE 21 - TEMPORARY GROCERY 32 FIGURE 22 - SITE 33 FIGURE 23 - ROTTERDAM METRO MAP 33 FIGURE 24 - BIKE CONNECTIONS