The Netherlands has a chronic shortage of student housing; however, there is inadequate knowledge of governance processes affecting delivery outcomes. There is substantial existing literature outlining the quantitative deficit of student housing; however, there has been limited study on governance processes and their impact on delivery outcomes in relation to the preservation of qualitative goals (shared housing typologies and affordability) throughout the development life cycle via the municipalities' ability to translate negotiated visions into delivery outcomes (influence/steering).  

This thesis will investigate how governance methods (soft tools) and planning approaches (hard tools) impact the success of the delivery of student housing in Dutch student cities. It will do so through a qualitative comparative case study by analysing two distinct Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) projects (the Pauwmolen project in Delft and the High Five project in Utrecht) that represent different markets but share very different institutional approaches to and rates of construction completion.

Using the framework of an Institutional Steering Chain with a focus on network governance theory and a synthesis of Buitelaar & de Kam’s (2009) success framework, the analysis was conducted in three stages. The lens for this analysis is transferable to other areas of student housing but is not limited to only these areas. The triangulation of data used for the analysis involved elements of policy, planning, and semi-structured interviews (with municipal stakeholders, developers, and student union representatives). 

The findings from the analysis indicate that Delft is operating within a facilitative land-based regime consisting of fragmented instruments and no common Normative Vision (for how to achieve student housing success). The result is a mixed outcome for student housing; quantitative goals for delivery have been accomplished, however, qualitative expectations — with respect to the provision of shared housing, tenancies longer than 12 months, and affordability of student housing − have not been fulfilled.
Conversely, Utrecht has developed a layered instrument architecture to guide development through multi-party covenants, conditional zoning regulations, and the creation of a ground lease (to manage efficiency pressures while maintaining other binding commitments associated with the delivery of student housing). The result has been an effectiveness ratio that suggests a high projected level of effectiveness for student housing within a framework of conventional governance and planning methods. 

In conclusion, the research indicates that an effective student housing delivery system under extreme market pressure requires the development of layered and redundant governance and planning mechanisms, as well as a combination of proactive legitimacy, ownership of land by public authorities, and the use of conditional legal instruments. The research recommends that Delft establish a multi-party covenant, create a layered governance and planning framework, and work together to conduct national advocacy.
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The Netherlands is facing significant spatial challenges and a structural housing shortage, in which the role of municipalities in the land market is crucial. This study evaluates the municipal pre-emption right as an instrument for land assembly, aiming for housing development. The central question is how the municipal pre-emption right functions in practice as a strategy for land assembly and how it contributes to outcomes in housing development. The study has both a legal and theoretical framework functioning as a basis for a qualitative multiple case study of three municipalities: Hulst, Westland and Harderwijk. Based on the document analysis and the semi-structured interviews with involved municipal officials, for each case the process of establishing a pre-emption right, land assembly and housing development has been reconstructed, and cross-case analysed. The results of the case study show that the pre-emption right primarily functions as a process instrument. It does not directly contribute to land assembly or accelerating housing development, but it creates space for negotiation, prevents unwanted market interventions and improves the position of control for municipalities. The outcomes in land assembly and housing development stay dependant on contextual factors like market pressure, political preferences, current land positions and organisational capacity. In all three cases, housing development took place, and in all cases, in similar or higher housing amounts than originally planned. Despite this, no direct causal relationship can be established between the use of the pre-emption right and the realised housing development production or speed. Concluding, the pre-emption right can be seen as a strategic supportive instrument within active land policy, from which the effectiveness primarily lies in facilitating the process and limiting speculation, and less in direct output in terms of land assembly or housing production. ... Read more

The Netherlands is dealing with an urgent housing crisis compounded by electricity grid congestion which has created a critical bottleneck for new urban developments. This thesis explores whether implementing Energy Hubs (EHubs) in such projects can help overcome these constraints. EHubs are decentralized, multi-energy systems designed for local energy coordination; they integrate on-site renewable generation, energy storage, and flexible demand management through a shared infrastructure coordinated among multiple stakeholders. The research aims to clarify how EHubs are defined and implemented in area development projects facing grid congestion, and to identify the technical, legal, financial, and governance barriers and enablers that influence their implementation.

The study is grounded in the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) on socio-technical transitions, which conceptualizes EHubs as niche innovations navigating within and against the dominant energy regime amid broader pressures such as climate policy and infrastructure limitations. Methodologically, a qualitative multiple-case study was conducted on three Dutch pilot projects: Merwedekanaalzone, Schoonschip, and Republica. These pilots were used to examine EHub configurations in practice. Data was collected through desk research and semi-structured interviews with diverse stakeholders, including technical experts, policy advisors, and distribution system operators.

A cross-case thematic analysis revealed several recurring factors that can facilitate or hinder EHub implementation. Key enablers included early involvement of technical specialists in the planning process, regulatory flexibility (for instance, through experimental energy regulations), availability of public funding, and strong governance arrangements. Conversely, common barriers were a lack of technical standardization, fragmented institutional responsibilities, persistent legal uncertainties (since current regulations do not fully accommodate EHubs), and high financial risks due to unproven business models. Overall, the findings indicate that while EHubs hold transformative potential for sustainable urban development under grid constraints, scaling them from isolated pilots to mainstream solutions will require systemic support. Aligning policy frameworks, ensuring regulatory flexibility, and providing robust financial mechanisms will be essential to integrate these decentralized solutions into the mainstream energy system and build environemnt. ... Read more

This research addresses the question: How can strategic scenario thinking be integrated into Rotterdam's urban development process, and what potential does it hold for addressing politically sensitive urban development projects, particularly in the case of Feyenoord City?. The study employs a methodology that combines literature review, case study analysis, stakeholder interviews, and interactive sessions. This combination takes elements from the method of ‘action research’ (Coghlan, 2019), which is chosen for its ability to reflect upon the implementation of new tools within existing organisations and its processes. The interviews with municipal project managers, urban planners, project opposition, and academic experts provide qualitative insights into the challenges faced during the Feyenoord City project. The data is analysed through coding and a cross-reference method to identify gaps for the implementation of scenario thinking within Rotterdam’s municipal strategic urban development process.

By answering the main research question, this research developed a framework for implementing strategic scenarios, which are grounded in the theories from Börjeson et al. (2006) (scenario definitions) and Lindgren & Bandhold (2009) (scenario formulation). The data analysis reveals key gaps where scenario thinking could improve the strategic urban development process. These gaps include the lack of clear scenario definitions and a focus on short-term outcomes over long-term strategic thinking. These gaps highlight the need for clearer frameworks and more inclusive decision-making processes, especially for a politically sensitive project like Feyenoord City.

The case study demonstrated that scenario thinking could enhance adaptability, mitigate risks, and address community opposition and regulatory complexities. The research concludes with a proposal to integrate strategic scenario thinking into Rotterdam’s urban planning process, emphasizing iterative reflection and improving stakeholder collaboration to manage political sensitivities and uncertainties, offering a replicable model for other cities. ... Read more

Neo-rural farmers, urban-origin individuals who move to rural areas to start small-scale farms, are increasingly recognised as potential agents of change within European food systems. While their motivations and the challenges they encounter are well documented, little is known about how they manage this transition. This thesis explores the strategies that enable neo-rural farmers to establish themselves in Asturias, Spain. Through Schlossberg’s (1981) model for analysing human adaptation to transition, nine semi-structured interviews are analysed to shed light on the situation, self, support, and strategy that describe their transitions. Neo-rural farmers are positioned as niches in Geels’ (2002) Multi-Level Perspective where they are seen as potential actors of change. Findings show that transitions are shaped by yearly cycles and interconnected challenges concerning economic viability, knowledge gaps, social integration, bureaucratic barriers, and access to land. Successful strategies combine adaptive learning through DIY and trial and error, with diverse business models of trust-based markets and collaborative labour. The individual learning processes of neo-rural farmers illustrate how micro-adaptations can contribute to broader sociotechnical experimentation and innovation in food systems. This study highlights the importance of supporting neo-rural farmers’ transitions to advance their long-term contributions to global food systems. ... Read more

Young adults are essential in the future of rural municipalities. They can revive places in decline and create new opportunities. But what future dreams, plans and opportunities do they have? Embark on a journey through the Dutch countryside to uncover the future dreams of young adults. Delve into the dreams, plans, and obstacles shaping the future of rural municipalities. Through the vibrant tapestry of cultural festivals, witness the revitalization of once-declining communities. Additionally, examine the innovative re-use of vacant farm buildings, offering promising opportunities for regeneration, economic growth and entrepreneurship.

However, amidst these prospects lies a challenge: the political landscape, where urban interests often overshadow rural needs. Shedding light on these dynamics and navigating its complexities, this research aims to empower rural communities. It suggests how to pave the way towards better policies for rural municipalities in the Netherlands. Where young adults can build their rural futures. ... Read more

Starters van nu kunnen als de verloren generatie op de woningmarkt worden beschouwd (Boelhouwer & Schiffer, 2019). Diverse beleidsmaatregelen voor het verkrijgen van een hypotheek, hoge studieleningen, een vaak te korte inschrijftijd voor een sociale huurwoning en de concurrentie met particuliere beleggers zorgen ervoor dat deze groep tussen wal en schip valt. Daarnaast is er een trend gaande waarin men uit de randstad naar intermediaire zones en perifere gebieden vertrekt. De verhuisbewegingen naar deze gebieden hebben ervoor gezorgd dat de prijzen van de woningen bijvoorbeeld in het noorden en oosten van Nederland tot wel 20% zijn gestegen. Veel van de starters die in dorpen en landelijke gebieden zijn opgegroeid hebben de voorkeur om in een vergelijkbare woonomgeving te gaan wonen, terwijl het vinden van een geschikte woning ook in de landelijke gebieden lastig lijkt te zijn. In deze scriptie is onderzocht in hoeverre het lukt in de casus gemeenten om woningbouw(initiatieven) voor starters te realiseren. Hierbij is onderzoek gedaan naar de woonwensen en verhuiswensen van starters, welk beleid provincies en gemeenten hebben op het gebied van woningbouw voor starters en hoeveel woningen er worden gerealiseerd en hoeveel woningen er in voorbereiding zijn voor starters. Vervolgens is onderzocht of de wensen van de starters overeenkomen met het aanbod van het aantal voor starters bedoelde woningen in de gemeenten. Tot slot is onderzocht hoe het verschil in vraag en aanbod te verklaren is en hoe dit kan worden aangepakt. ... Read more

The way we work and the demand for offices is changing in the Netherlands. This poses the question whether the traditional office park is still viable. However, the demand for housing provides an opportunity to transform these outdated office parks into new mixed-use areas. This way the quality of the area could be improved, and the area could be utilised better in a time when demand for is high and available land is scarce. The literature shows that the transformation of office buildings to mixed-use can be successful. However, there is a lack of research on how this transformation process of office parks into mixed-use works on an urban area level. There is a lack of insight into the landowners and other actors in the transformation process. The available literature shows that landowners can oppose this transformation. The research design used is triangulation, utilizing multiple research methods to arrive at a conclusive answer. The research commenced with conducting a literature review, supplemented by an exploratory interview with a private investor, in order to establish a basis for the research. Case studies were then conducted, followed by a cross-analysis. Finally, an expert panel was conducted to verify the findings and to gain further insight into the research topic. This research, limited to the context of the Netherlands, aims to identify where the transformation process of office parks is hindered and to gain insight into the process and the roles played by different stakeholders. The objective is to provide municipalities with recommendations on using policy and regulations to entice market parties, particularly landowners, to initiate the transformation process. The results show that it is possible to use the same strategy for transformation projects on a higher abstraction level, however it needs to be flexible to respond and adapt to the location characteristics. ... Read more

Design for a co-housing development near Lelylaan station in Amsterdam, based on the concept of the Homo Ludens. The design is supported by thematic research into the use of a design game for the co-creation of co-housing. ... Read more

Social cohesion is perceived to be under pressure in the Netherlands, especially in its larger cities. The Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced and deepened the socio-spatial divide between vulnerable urban areas and the rest of the city, which not only affects the residents of the area and of the city, but also starts to affect the cohesion of the society as a whole. In light of the large scale spatial transitions that will also need to take place in these vulnerable urban areas, the Dutch government has issued the National Programme for Liveability and Safety, a long term, integrated and multidisciplinary urban regeneration approach to tackle the liveability, safety and social issues within the vulnerable urban areas. To achieve the overall improvement of the quality of life of the residents, it is stated in the Programme that interventions in the spatial domain should reinforce policy objectives in the social domain and vice versa. The objective of this graduation project is to explore to what extent urban design of physical public spaces in urban areas can facilitate the formation of social cohesion. To do this, literature research was conducted to define social cohesion, and to translate the concept to the local community level into specific urban design objectives. For this, the Social Cohesion Radar of the Bertelsmann Stiftung was taken apart and operationalised into requirements and a description of the ideal situation. From this, it was concluded that the design objectives consist of certain types of social interactions with specific characteristics. Furthermore, using relevant theories from environmental psychology and sociology, it was researched how the environment affects human behaviour. Combined with urban design theories the findings from the theoretical exploration and the operationalisation were used to develop a framework to analyse a physical space from the lens of social cohesion. In this analytical framework, the central point through which urban design interventions connect to social cohesion is through social interactions. Through the design of specific elements the defined social interactions could be directly facilitated, or would be facilitated via the improvement of characteristics of the space. The type of space that is analysed sets the expectations for the interactions that are likely to occur, and sets expectations for the characteristics and elements to be found there. For the implementation of the framework a guideline was developed, as well as an overview of typical settings to be found in Dutch urban areas, and a set of possible design interventions for social cohesion. The use of the framework to analyse a physical public space in an urban area should provide an urban designer with a decent understanding of the potential of the space to facilitate social cohesion, and provide the designer with possible spatial improvements. The framework provides the urban designer with an instrument to develop explicit and specific hypotheses regarding the facilitation of social cohesion through urban design. ... Read more

Introduction, Scope and Aim:
The objective of this research is to examine the influence of municipal spatial vision documents on the decision-making process of developers to participate in urban area developments. For this research a literature and case study as well as an expert meeting were used. With the case study methodology four urban area developments in the Netherlands were studied and included a desk research regarding the vision documents published and interviews with developers regarding their views of these documents and their reasons to invest. The results from the case studies were analysed and validated through an expert meeting.

Main results:
This research concluded that spatial policy documents play a crucial role in the urban development process since they create a first framework for the development. However, it was also noted that these documents can be unrealistic and fail to effectively persuade developers due to not considering the financial aspect of the development. It was furthermore concluded that these documents are important for the decision-making process of developers, as it is political statement from the municipality that it endorses housing development in a certain area. Developers furthermore look for clues in vision documents on what could be built since this greatly determines their development business case. However, such clues are of lacking in these documents and are therefore described by developers as vague. Furthermore, developers desire a balance of flexibility and certainty in spatial vision documents and the area development process. The internal decision-making process of developers regarding participation in an area development consists of creating a business case and conducting a risk analysis of the development, which are combined into an investment proposal. The decision whether to invest is not solely based on the business case being profitable and line with the internal goals of the developer, but also on having the 'belief' the development can be realised, which is based on the risk analysis as well as the developer's (gut) feeling about the development.

Main conclusion and recommendations:
Based on this research, it can be concluded that ultimately many factors influence the decision-making process of developers. Spatial vision documents contribute to this decision, but there is no direct cause-effect since other factors are also in play. Crucial are the shaping factors indicating what could be built that can be derived from the spatial vision document. Moreover, capacity building factors related to the reputation of and relationship with the municipality play a crucial role. These factors influence the 'belief' of a developer for successful area development. Additionally, factors related to developers' internal goals and modus operandi have a crucial impact on their decision of where to invest. It can be concluded that it is crucial that parties collaborate early in the process, that their relationship is good and, importantly, that there is mutual trust.

Summarising, spatial vision documents, shaping instruments and capacity building tools are an important influence on the decision-making process of developers, but internal and external factors play an at least equally important role.
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Public services are an essential part of urban development projects. Usually, municipalities aim to recover the costs of these services from developers that initiate projects that benefit from these services. Many countries have implemented various value capturing instruments to be able to achieve this. However, only fragmented data is available about the use of financial contributions from developers in practice. This study focuses on the situation in the Netherlands and researches whether negotiated financial contributions are mentioned in municipal policy reports and if these are incorporated in development agreements. The research provides insight into the use of financial contributions and the results of its usage in practice. Although the legislation in the Spatial Planning Act on cost recovery is extensive, the practice of recovering above-plan costs is messy. Different types of above-plan costs are used inconsistently and interchangeably in various municipal policies. The policy analysis conducted for 50 municipalities shows that only few municipalities have stated a cost allocation for financial contributions and indicated explicit contribution sums. Municipalities can have different approaches towards the allocation of costs for off-site works, whereby some policies are more detailed than others. The contributions for above-plan costs that are mentioned have a broad bandwidth, in height and type of investments. With case studies, the implementation of these policies is analysed. The research shows that financial contributions are an important topic in negotiations in some municipalities, while others barely negotiate on it and incorporate the stated contributions from their policy in almost all development agreements. Municipalities are willing to lower contributions if developers can show their project becomes infeasible by them. It then depends on project characteristics if contributions or lowered or weaved entirely. Most municipalities do not expect that the new Environment and Planning Act, which introduces publicly enforceable financial contributions, will result in more received contributions, although they think the new legislation could potentially improve their negotiation position. This research has provided an overview of how municipalities deal with financial contributions in practice and has thereby contributed to the knowledge on the implementation of cost recovery policies in the Dutch context. ... Read more

Urban areas are the biggest consumers of electricity and energy consumption is only likely to increase with rapid urbanization. Out of the urban building stock residential buildings require continuous supply of energy for space heating and appliances. To answer to this demand in a sustainable way policy maker need to design energy efficiency strategies that must rely on accurate and traceable models. These models estimate energy demand based on a series of building features, out of which building age is of prime importance because it predicts the insulation properties of the building. To support the energy modelling process, we propose a method of automatically identifying building age from spatial data at a large scale. We identify features of buildings that are significant for age prediction and determine which set of features has best prediction power at national scale, in Germany. It is expected that the accuracy of classification will be strongly related to sampling design and data availability. The final results will be used to identify the impact of misclassification errors on estimating energy use in urban energy models, providing in this manner a measure of the reliability of such models. ... Read more

All across the Netherlands more and more church buildings are abandoned as a consequence of secularisation, declining church attendance and ageing of the population of churchgoers. However, finding a new future for a church building is not as easy as it sounds, as it mostly result in protracted and complex processes in which involved stakeholders can hardly come to an agreement. In order to increase clarity, this article identifies different stakeholder perspectives on determining a future for church buildings in The Netherlands. By using Q methodology three shared perspectives could be identified, as well as areas of agreement, in dealing with vacant church buildings. The perspectives named: A) “church building as house for the public”, B) “making well considered choices” and C) “church councils in control”. The perspectives share awareness of the importance of church buildings for society and are all willing to retain those buildings for the future. However, they disagree on what possible future is preferred and how the process of defining a future should be shaped. Where perspective A mainly focuses on culture-historical values, perspective B has more eye for financial feasibility of reuse and perspective C stresses the importance of the religious meaning of the church building. The differences between those perspectives together with the secrecy of stakeholders is therefore seen as one of the most deciding bottlenecks in reuse processes of church buildings. ... Read more

99.94% of scientists believe in the effect of CO2 emissions on climate change. To tackle this, many parts of society must become sustainable. In Dutch road projects this drive for a sustainable transition is noticed in the last few years. Currently, the actions for climate inclusive road projects have not been successful. Climate consideration are limitedly part of the scope of these projects. A lack of understanding on road planning system, and the existence of success and failure factors limits the sustainable transition in road projects. This research explores the existence and workings of critical success factors in Dutch road planning. The exploration and identification of factors is achieved by using a comparative case study approach. Three Dutch road infrastructure project were analysed. The research established three main findings (1) The lack of early (integral) inclusion of climate concerns impedes the success related to climate aspects of a project. (2) The existence of a project climate goal is essential in guaranteeing the constant inclusion of climate concerns and climate related consideration in the planning process. (3) The success of inclusion and translation of climate ambitions into goals depends on the sustainable mind-set of project organisations, political players, stakeholders and public. The findings of this research improve understanding of road planning processes and climate related transition processes. The research elaborates and corroborates critical success factors found in other disciplines. The main findings while only based on three case studies, correspond to the findings in other disciplines. ... Read more

The rapid urban growth of Brazilian cities in the second half of the twentieth century produced an extremely unequal urban fabric with spatial discontinuities and left-over spaces. Spatial fragmentation in Brazilian metropolises is not only related to spatial discontinuities, but also to socioeconomic inequalities. Walls in Brazil are physical and social. This fragmentation undermines the resilience of the urban system, which depends on the cooperation capacity between actors in the face of unexpected changes. Since the physical connection of disconnected spaces does not necessarily create social connections between segregated groups, it is difficult to develop cooperation and thus resilience in fragmented cities. In this context, this thesis presents self-organised initiatives as potential actors to dismantle these invisible walls. Self-organised initiatives promote the creation of social connection between highly diverse groups in public spaces of cities with extreme socioeconomic inequalities, which has a positive impact on the resilience of the urban system. Aiming to establish a solid societal impact, the thesis puts forward recommendations on two fronts: education and practice. The author demonstrates, based on the experience of the massive open online course Rethink the City, the way how doctoral research can be used in open online education. Grounded on the findings in the cases of Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the thesis lays out a set of recommendations on how urban planning can work with self-organised initiatives in a collaborative manner in order to foster social connection in cities with patent socioeconomic inequalities. ... Read more

The middle-income households in the Netherlands are currently disadvantaged in finding affordable housing, as they are pushed towards the private rental market in which affordable private rental housing is scarce. Together with participation trends, this gives opportunities for collective private commissioning (CPC) to add to the supply and make it more inclusive and stable, as different interests could come together and the housing is expected to stay affordable. Therefore, this study entails an explorative research into the possibilities of CPC and affordable private rental housing, focussing on the type of collaboration, the enablers and barriers in the collaborative process and the role division within the collaboration. A single case study of CPC for middle-segment owner-occupied housing was conducted, supplemented with a cross-sectional study, with interviewees currently involved in CPC for affordable private rental housing. The main findings show that the type of collaboration can be considered hybrid, as it can act in a commercial market while maintaining its social goal and it has a collaborative and innovative approach. Important enablers and barriers towards collaboration are in the initial phases of such a project, where expertise and political influence are crucial. During collaboration, a board providing connecting leadership, acknowledging power differences, trust and striving for a win-win situation by serving both social and commercial interests encourage collaboration. However, difficulties in the complex financial situation of such a development can cause barriers. Important roles for this type of development are defined as process responsible and executive, in order to guide the process. An enabler within the role division is making clear agreements at the beginning. Besides the previous implications, the role of the residents seems moderated compared to other forms of CPC, as they will only be in charge after the housing is realised. Implications for practice can be found and this type of development is considered to be an option, as the findings show that with the right conditions, this type of development can contribute to the supply of affordable private rental housing in the long-term. ... Read more