Temporary housing in The Netherlands

Abstract

There is a big housing shortage in the Netherlands and in order to solve this problem, the Dutch government has announced the ambition to develop almost one million homes before 2030. However, due to high construction costs, permit procedures and difficulty of finding suitable locations, the intended target might not be reached. One solution to this problem is developing temporary housing, for example by transforming existing buildings or developing modular units on temporary locations. However, finding suitable locations still appears to be a frequently occurring challenge. One of the factors that impacts the suitability of a location is support from the local community. In this thesis, the main research question focuses on the role of neighborhood support in the development of successful temporary housing projects, and is formulated as follows: What characteristics of temporary housing affect level of support and how can this level of support be enhanced to create successful temporary housing projects?
For this study, qualitative research methods are used. The research starts with a literature review to explore the subject and create a clear description of the problem and its causes. Following this explorative study, the research continues with a qualitative study of possible solutions to the problem. By conducting interviews with different stakeholders of three temporary housing projects, the goal was to develop recommendations for future developments. The three cases present different characteristics of temporary housing that impact the level of support. However, it appears that not only the characteristics, but also participation and communication are crucial for obtaining support and intensifying the production of temporary housing. Different cases require different strategies to improve the level of support, but all cases show that level of support is a phenomenon that develops over time, as most opposition has now been replaced with support for the projects.