The Netherlands is well-known for their long-standing tradition in spatial planning and growth management. Before the crisis of 2008, the municipalities carried out an active land policy in urban development projects, however this approach was not crisis-proof and is subject of change contemporarily. The new Environment and Planning Act expected to enter in force in 2022 plays a significant role in this. There is an ongoing transition from traditional into a more facilitating approach to urban development projects initiated from the government. This new approach offers room for initiatives from the market. However, it is not clear what the impact of these changes are and what it entails. The aim of this research is to clarify the framework of this facilitative approach and what it entails for the municipalities and project developers. In order to investigate this a literature review has been made in which the most important informal and formal procedures, instruments and documents have been described. The design of this research is qualitative. Based on document analysis, semi-structured interviews and multiple case studies a complete overview of the transition is given. This results in the definition of the context of urban development projects, legal and non-legal instruments used, practical experiences and relationship between parties involved. The goal is to map out the entire situation in the present and near future, which could be used as a guidance when the new Environment and Planning Law comes into effect.