EUKN - Netherlands - National Urban Policy of the Netherlands

National Urban Policy of the Netherlands

Introduction
The Netherlands is one of the first European countries to have adopted an official urban policy. Much of the responsibility under this policy rests with the towns and cities themselves, with citizen participation and result-oriented implementation as two of the guiding principles.
More than ever before, people realise that large city problems are difficult to resolve and need to be tackled with all partners involved. There is no place in this approach for tightly drawn bureaucratic frameworks. This is the starting point of the Urban Policy III system. The policy framework was developed under close consultation with the cities, because its objectives need to match local social situations closely.

Historical Background
The Netherlands has always been comparatively highly urbanised. At the start of the 1990s its major towns and cities were suffering a degree of social and physical deprivation in comparison to the rest of the country. To create greater coherence in the approach to these urban problems, the government launched its first official Urban Policy in 1994. The cities are mainly responsible for achieving the objectives in the context of Urban Policy.

Organisation
Under the current Dutch government, urban policy is implemented by two levels of government:

Central Government - Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is responsible for the development and maintenance of the urban policy system. The government bears collective responsibility for coherent, coordinated and result-oriented policy to tackle the problems facing the country's towns and cities. The relevant individual ministers are directly responsible for policy in their respective sectors. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations exercises oversight over coordination between the social, physical and economic areas of overall policy.

The Cities
The towns and cities themselves bear primary responsibility for the implementation of urban policy both with and for their citizens, businesses and institutions. Measurable goals are formulated to this end in consultation with those directly concerned and with neighbouring local authorities. These goals must be ambitious enough to keep all local and regional partners on their toes, but at the same time they must be realistic enough to be achievable.
The towns and cities covered by central government urban policy are divided into two groups. The first group is the G4, the four largest cities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht). The second group is the G27 (Almelo, Deventer, Enschede, Hengelo, Zwolle, Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, Helmond, Tilburg, Arnhem, Heerlen, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Venlo, Sittard-Geleen, Dordrecht, Groningen, Haarlem, Leeuwarden, Leiden, Schiedam, Alkmaar, Amersfoort, Emmen, Lelystad and Zaanstad).

Collaboration between the cities and the central government is based on the following:

Tailor-made approach: cities are deemed to formulate their own ambitions in a long-term development programme.
Special purpose grants: central government offers cities financial security for a five year period. Within designated themes, cities can spend the money freely and thus respond better to local conditions. The cities did not have this flexibility prior to 2005.
Central government makes agreements with the cities on measurable achievements. A dialogue occurs annually on the stipulated objectives. At the end of the agreement period the city will give a one-off account of the achievements realised. Central government determines its final contribution to the cities on the basis of their accounting document.

Current Issues

Process themes:

reducing bureaucracy;
making clearer agreements about the desired results with and within cities;
to allow more room for an individual approach by the thirty cities covered by the government's urban policy.

Substantive themes

improving and expanding safety and security;
promoting the integration and effective assimilation of ethnic minorities;
promoting public receptiveness and social cohesion;
restructuring districts and neighbourhoods;
improving the economic structure and the climate for business;
involvement of citizens, businesses and institutions.

Key Programmes

Our Neighbourhood’s Move (2001-2004). This is one initiative to have come out of the government's overall urban policy. Certain districts in the 30 largest towns and cities receive government funding to carry out plans to improve the district’s quality of life, social cohesion and safety and security. Residents in the areas selected are given an opportunity to join the local authority in drafting plans that will improve their local quality of life.
The Dutch Knowledge centre for larger towns and cities (KCGS), established in 2001. KCGS supports the cities with advice and knowledge. It offers an e-library with practical examples and research and enables the transfer of knowledge between the parties actively involved with cities. Through its international division, KCGS International, the knowledge centre seeks to stimulate and profit from knowledge exchange with other (European) countries.
Social Quality Matters ICT (2002-2004). The Netherlands is working on improving the quality of life in the community, using computers. ICT is increasingly showing itself capable of making a real contribution resolving urban problems. Knowledge of ICT for social purposes is being collected and disseminated by the SQM knowledge network and is funded by the government.
50 districts programme (2003). The 50 districts programme seeks to accelerate urban renewal in 56 districts. Councils and local partners enter into contracts about the results to be achieved in the districts. Cities are asked to include the targets and agreements for these districts in their long-term development programmes.