Purpose
In the Netherlands, there is a practice of entrepreneurs who buy land, fragment it into tiny parcels and sell it using aggressive marketing campaigns for extremely high prices to private people suggesting that this is a fine investment, because of expected planning gain. However, usually, this land has no prospect for development at all being often situated in areas that have no development perspective at all. Furthermore, the speculative shredding of land makes it unfit for future uses. This paper aims to explore whether the legal systems of Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) with regard to subdivision, can help to address this issue of speculative land fragmentation, and it explores the potential of Nordic experiences for including some of these principles in the legal system of the Netherlands.

Design/methodology/approach
The comparative study is based on study of relevant documents and legal materials, studies and expert interviews.

Findings
Denmark, Norway and Sweden have each a system that will not allow speculative land fragmentation in the ways it appears in the Netherlands. The way these systems are organised differs, with a central role of a private surveyor (Denmark), the municipality (Norway) or a national agency (Sweden). Finland has a system that will not prevent subdivision outside areas that are planned for construction.

Practical implications
Different alternative ways are discussed on how the experiences from the Nordic countries can be used to change the Netherlands system.

Originality/value
The speculative land fragmentation in the Netherlands is a rather new phenomenon and there is no previous publication on the ways how learning from Nordic countries may provide options to prevent it. ... Read more

Woningbouw is een topprioriteit van de overheid. Lang was dit vooral een prioriteit op papier, maar was dit niet zichtbaar in extra financiële inspanningen op het gebied van gemeentelijke grondexploitaties. Sinds 2023 is er een voorzichtige stijging te zien in de uitgaven op het gebied van grondverwerving en investeringen in bouw- en woonrijpmaken. Deze extra inspanningen lijken echter nog niet op het niveau te zijn dat noodzakelijk is om woningbouw voldoende te versnellen. Na een jarenlange daling (van zo een € 13 miljard in 2010 inclusief nog niet in exploitatie genomen gronden) is sinds een dieptepunt eind 2022 (een boekwaarde van € 3,7 miljard) de omvang van boekwaarde in grondexploitaties weer voorzichtig aan het stijgen. Er wordt meer uitgegeven aan grondverwerving en de ontwikkeling van locaties. Gemeenten doen dit met een (voor alle gemeenten samen) met een positief resultaat van € 295 miljoen in 2024. Er zijn slechts 73 gemeenten (21% van alle gemeenten in Nederland) die voor grondexploitaties in bedrijven en woningen een negatief saldo (van gemiddeld € 2,0 miljoen) verantwoorden.

De eerste vooruitzichten over 2025 (gebaseerd op de cijfers over de eerste twee kwartalen van 2025) suggereren dat investeringen achter blijven bij die van 2024. Het is nog niet duidelijk of dit inderdaad zo is, het kan ook worden verklaard door achterstanden in de gemeentelijke financiële administratie. Kwartaalcijfers worden met minder zorgvuldigheid vervaardigd dan de jaarrekeningen. ... Read more

De maatschappij staat niet stil en dat leidt voortdurend tot plannen en projecten van initiatiefnemers. Hoe speelt de ruimtelijke ordening daarop in? Komt de evenwichtige toedeling van functies aan locaties (waar we in Nederland zo trots op zijn) nog steeds goed tot stand, ook nu de Omgevingswet van kracht is? TU Delft-hoogleraar Willem Korthals Altes heeft er grote twijfels bij. “Vergunningen verlenen wordt zo het ritselen door mensen die de weg kennen. ... Read more

Sinds 1986 is de gemeente Den Haag bezig met een traject waarbij alle erfpachtrechten worden gewijzigd naar eeuwigdurende erfpacht. Het grootste deel van dit traject is achter de rug. Er moet nog heruitgifte van circa 10.500 tijdelijke erfpachtrechten naar eeuwigdurende erfpacht plaatsvinden en herziening van circa 2.500 voortdurende erfpachtovereenkomsten naar eeuwigdurende erfpacht. [...] ... Read more

In dit artikel wordt de blijvende aandacht voor de woningmarkt, met name de vraag om een woningbouwimpuls besproken. Ter behandeling hiervan worden de eerste tranche van de Wbi, de Sisa invulwijzer en gemeentelijke verantwoording van de voortgang besproken. Afgesloten wordt met een korte discussie over de realisatie van woningen en de waarborg van de juiste allocatie van middelen voor de toekomst, en een algemene conclusie. ... Read more

Het woningwaarderingsstelsel is in 2024 uitgebreid naar de middenhuursector. Middenhuurwoningen hebben een huur van ongeveer 900 tot 1.200 euro per maand en zijn volgens het huurbeleid om die reden betaalbaar voor middeninkomens. De middenhuurregulering streeft naar een balans tussen betaalbaarheid en investeringsbereidheid.

Op de Woontop 2024 is afgesproken om het investeringsklimaat in middenhuurwoningen te onderzoeken en opties te verkennen om het investeringsklimaat te verbeteren. Het investeringsklimaat voor middenhuurwoningen wordt bepaald door factoren die invloed hebben op het rendement en het risico dat investeerders lopen bij het bouwen en verhuren van middenhuurwoningen.

De ontwikkeling van het investeringsklimaat is onderzocht met literatuuronderzoek, interviews en beschrijvende statistiek. De impact van het investeringsklimaat en beleidsopties op de ontwikkeling van de woningvoorraad is onderzocht met een kasstromenmodel. De parameters die gebruikt zijn als inputs in het model zijn vastgesteld op basis van een synthese van een CAPM-analyse, literatuuronderzoek, interviews en een enquête onder de leden van IVBN en SPPV. ... Read more

The Netherlands is a decentralized unitary state with three layers of government. Many tasks regarding planning and policies for rural areas have been decentralized to provinces. Other important tasks have been decentralized to municipalities. There is a minister for emancipation who has a coordinating role. ... Read more

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common interest, collaborating and learning together about how to develop this interest and apply it in practice. In socio-ecological transition movements-such as permaculture, transition networks and eco-villages - CoPs have the potential to become systems and spaces that have real power and influence.

Over an 18-month period between May 2024 and December 2025, twenty innovative rural and farming women from ten European countries will play the central role as Innovation Ambassadors in the FLIARA CoP. Engagement in this EU-wide interchange platform for multi-actor exchanges will happen both offline and online, anchored around four CoP Networking Events in Ireland, Slovenia, Italy and Sweden.

These event locations have been determined based on a geographically spaced typology established in WP3 and WP4, considering four macro-regional hubs. The networking events will bring together relevant stakeholders, including 20 women Innovation Ambassadors. These 20 women are being selected from case studies conducted during WP3. The Innovation Ambassadors, who are women leading innovative practices in agriculture and rural areas, will play a central role in these events.

Building on the power of social networks, the CoP will be developed with these women ambassadors alongside key policy and governance stakeholders. The CoP Network will occur in conjunction with a Campaign of Visibility for women-led rural innovations, spotlighting women as key innovation actors for a sustainable rural future.

The FLIARA CoP Networking Events will serve as platforms for knowledge exchange, showcasing innovative practices, and fostering visibility for women in agriculture and rural innovation. The events will also facilitate engagement with key actors involved in rural and farming innovation, such as SCAR AKIS, EU and National AKIS Coordinating Bodies, EU and National CAP Networks, Policy Makers and the FLIARA Stakeholder Advisory Board. These events aim to promote collaboration, share best practices, and provide valuable insights for policy development and implementation. The CoP Network will also provide elements of the FLIARA Toolkit as an additional outcome of this practical user-centre interactive initiative.

This Strategic Action Plan (SAP) serves as roadmap to establish, organise, implement and monitor the FLIARA CoP. It provides a guide for partners to ensure that everyone understands what needs to be achieved. It identifies specific activities, assigns responsibilities and outlines specific actions. Links to all necessary support documents are provided. As the FLIARA CoP takes place over an 18-month timeframe, the SAP will be a living document and allow for adaptation to changing circumstances to ensure that the CoP stays relevant and responsive to the needs of the women. ... Read more

The FLIARA (Female-led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas) project aims to create a European-wide ecosystem, which supports women-led innovative practices in farming and rural areas. The project supports rural women by creating an improved ecosystem for innovation, which will highlight their successes, serve as a source of information and inspiration, link them to important players in the field, increase their visibility in institutional decision-making contexts at the national and international levels, and help them develop their capacity and skills so they can continue leading or begin leading innovative practices. Understanding how women engage in innovative sustainable practices on farms and in rural areas will be crucial to opening up new opportunities for rural women throughout the EU. To fill these knowledge gaps a comprehensive co-created conceptual framework has been developed. Deliverable 1.1 is divided into four parts to clearly depict the role of the conceptual framework throughout the life of the FLIARA project. The four parts include:

Part One: situates the conceptual framework within the broader contexts of the FLIARA project, outlining the key facets of the project, such as, why we need a conceptual framework, before addressing the context for women-led innovations in rural areas.

Part Two: introduces the six perspectives that were collectively selected to ground the Conceptual Framework.

Part Three: identifies the various strategies to be employed during the life of the FLIARA project to examine and also to promote female-led innovations in rural areas for gender equality and sustainable rural development.

Part Four: reflects on the process and production of 30 concept notes. To meet the project objectives and its multi-actor approach, a co-creative and collaborative approach was adopted to develop concept notes that informed the conceptual framework and the Knowledge Review (D1.2). The individual concepts notes form Appendix A. A Glossary of Terms (GoT) was collated and is referenced within the document. It has its own place in Appendix B.

The document commences with the following Executive Summary, which consists of key take home messages from each of the four parts of the document. ... Read more

This deliverable focuses on 20 national case studies that shed light on 200 women who spearhead unique innovations in the realm of rural areas and farming across ten European countries. The innovations led by the women are centred around four pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, economic, and cultural. They span across three distinct rural typologies: rural areas close to a city, rural villages, and remote rural regions. This comprehensive study provides a rich tapestry of female-led ingenuity and resilience in rural Europe.

The case study reports on 100 women-led farming innovations revealing a diverse, unique, and dynamic set of innovations. However, the rural location’s impact on these innovations is debated, with some countries finding that the type of innovation or regional differences within a country are more significant than the rural typology. The women have introduced farming innovations that vary in scale, duration, and ownership structure, with many based on organic, biodynamic, and agroecological farming. Women engaged in farming innovation often face challenges due to patriarchal social norms, with many feeling that they are not being taken seriously, particularly those without a family farming background. Despite these challenges, which include motherhood, financial constraints, bureaucratic hurdles, and infrastructural issues, many women gain community respect and inspire others by successfully managing their farming projects. Despite challenges, women engaged in farming innovation are combining domestic and care work with business, and leveraging support from partners, family, and friends. They also benefit from financial grants, strong local and international networks, technology, visibility through media, and support from local governments, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in their endeavours.

The case study also reports on 100 female-led rural innovations, which vary greatly across and within countries, with many recent initiatives in the past four years. These innovators, ranging in age from 26 to 78 and often highly educated, lead these initiatives either individually or in groups, and operate through registered businesses, associations, or informally, demonstrating the diversity and adaptability of women in this sector. The innovations are mostly related to environmental activities, community engagement, rural job creation, tourism, and training and education initiatives. The impact of the rural location on these innovations varies, with some countries finding that the type of innovation or other characteristics like local culture and religiosity are more significant than the rural typology. Despite these challenges, women innovators leverage their rural environments, integrating community needs, utilizing local resources, and creating urban-rural connections, demonstrating adaptability across different rural typologies. Support from intimate social circles, including partners and family, is essential for women-led innovations in rural areas, though work-life balance can be a challenge, particularly in relation to childcare. Local communities can provide resources and support, but gaining trust can be difficult, and infrastructure constraints, such as public transport and broadband, can impact innovation. Financial constraints are common, with complex regulations and bureaucracy posing additional challenges, yet public funds and alternative funding routes can provide crucial support. Despite these challenges, favourable conditions such as technical and business support systems, passion for their innovations, supportive networks, and geographical circumstances can offer opportunities for innovative solutions.

Drawing together female-led farming and rural innovations we can see that they are both diverse and have a high degree of adaptability. The importance of local and international networks, financial grants, and support from local governments are emphasized in fostering these innovations. Also, the role of and support from partners, family, and friends in these innovations are significant in both female-led farming and rural innovations. The challenges the women face include patriarchal social norms, financial constraints, bureaucratic hurdles, and issues related to infrastructure. The impact of rural location varies, with some countries finding that factors other than the rural typology, such as the type of innovation or regional differences within a country, are more significant. ... Read more

This chapter discusses planning the reterritorialisation of agricultural activities as an avenue of the Covid-19 pandemic recovery. Reterritorialisation indicates local food being targeted to local inhabitants instead of the global market. We argue that the pandemic has accelerated the reterritorialisation process. Supply chain actors actively responded to the local market, local agrifood sector labour was revalued, the rural-urban linkage was rebuilt along with the lifestyle change, and public political awareness was raised in engaging local agrifood issues. We propose planning the reterritorialisation of agriculture as a solution to perpetuating local agrifood activities and recovering from the pandemic. We discuss planning strategies from perspectives of access to land, the transition of farming practices, and structuring local supply chains. We conclude with research agenda drawn from the challenges faced by the coexistence of local and global food systems, the policy coherence and the juxtaposed complex issues like climate change and geopolitical conflicts. ... Read more

Land values change in planning processes. Accountancy regulations define the book value of land held by local authorities. This affects the evaluation of alternative lines of action in land development, and in this way, the land policy of local authorities. This paper reflects on the case of the Netherlands, which has a well-established tradition of public land development. Traditionally, valuation has been based on historic costs: the prices for acquisition and costs of infrastructure provision paid in the past, and not the current exchange values. Losses foreseen must be taken immediately; profits can only be booked after they have been made. This paper analyses the changes in these accountancy regulations over time and studies their impact on the economic position of local authorities. It considers both regulations as the outcomes of these as being found in administrative records and the practice in the City of Enschede where there was a difference between the official value as recorded in the books and the value that was the basis for decision-making. The paper discusses the impact on land policy. There is a tension between regulations that more-and-more aim for a direct reflection of property market volatility in the books and the aim of local authorities to present financial stability. This may contribute to less financial involvement in land policies. ... Read more

Je zult maar jong zijn op het platteland. Is er dan nog een perspectief voor de toekomst, nu we ons in het oog van de storm van talloze crises bevinden? Tijdens een studiemiddag van de TU Delft kwamen de dromen van de nieuwe generaties aan bod, evenals de praktische wetten en bezwaren. Willem Korthals Altes rapporteert. ... Read more

One of the tasks in the RURALIZATION project has been the development of a Massive Online Course (MOOC) entitled “Ruralization: Creating New Opportunities in Rural Areas”.
The MOOC has been running on the edX platform from March 1st 2023 up to April 12th 2023. (https://www.edx.org/course/ruralization-creating-opportunities-for-new-generations-in-rural-areas). This document provides an overview of the set-up of the MOOC (section 2), the uptake of the course by the learners (section 3) and an Evaluation and Discussion (section 4). ... Read more

De relatie tussen stad en land staat vol in de schijnwerpers in het debat over onder meer stikstof, woningbouw en de energietransitie. TU Delft-hoogleraar Willem Korthals Altes laat zien dat de bewoners van het landelijke gebied in de afgelopen decennia in een ‘economische tredmolen’ zijn beland. Voor de vernieuwing van het landelijke gebied is dan ook een geheel nieuw perspectief nodig dat over de stadsrand heen reikt. ... Read more