The informal governance of LEGO urbanism: Temporary housing in the Netherlands

Abstract

This article interrogates how temporary housing in the Netherlands is shaped by informal governance. It argues such practices enable a new state-led paradigm, termed LEGO urbanism, which transforms housing from place-bound infrastructure into modular, relocatable assets. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of the Dutch flexwonen policy, the study shows how LEGO urbanism is realized through three key mechanisms: trust-based networks, discretionary flexibility, and the public absorption of private risk. By theorizing the link between modularity, temporariness, and informal governance, this work extends theories of urban informality to the Global North. It raises urgent questions about the role of the state in temporary urbanism, modularization within urban development, and the normalization of housing impermanence.