The VINEX Housing Programme
In 1990/1 the Dutch government issued its "VINEX" report on spatial planning, which proposed the building of 455,000 new houses between 1996 to 2005. Of these, 285,000 houses were to be built around cities in suburbs, with the stipulation that they should:
- be compact in order to preserve the countryside
- be close to existing cities to keep car travel to a minimum
- be developed around existing or new public transport
- be close to shops and employment opportunities.
The national government provided financial incentives to local and regional authorities, including €3.2 billion for transport and traffic investment.
The VINEX programme provides a number of valuable lessons to other eco-development initiatives, such as being an example of good coordination between different levels of government to facilitate a smooth start, through regional panels of politicians and officials. The VINEX programme also shows clear partnership working by negotiating with private developers on the sale of plots, and setting up multi-disciplinary project teams that cross professional boundaries.