Spijkenisse, The Netherlands - INTI - International New Town Institute


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Spijkenisse, The Netherlands

Over the second half of the previous century, the village of Spijkenisse of a few thousand citizens, has grown to a city of circa 75,000 inhabitants. At first, this population growth was initiated to facilitate the expansion of the Port of Rotterdam, and later on, the growth of Spijkenisse became part of the national policy to orchestrate the suburbanization of the city of Rotterdam. During this last period, which peaked between 1975 and 1985, Spijkenisse grew most.
In the 1990s, the municipality decided to focus on quality, rather than quantity, leading to large-scale investments in the reinforcement of social, societal and cultural structures and the (physical) expansion and upgrading of the city centre. As a result, over the past decades, Spijkenisse has built a new theatre and a new library (see photo).

Ambitions and Opportunities:
 Management, sustainability and appeal of the private housing stock, which has been built in a relatively short period and which has thus been outdated in the same short period of time
 The aging of the local population poses various challenges to the city.
 Mutual reinforcement of local education and business life (often connected to the port)

Challenges:
 Spijkenisse has a typically suburban environment within an highly urbanized region with all facilities one could need, making it the ideal location for (young) families
 The development of the Port of Rotterdam is expected to trigger a shift in the labor structure of the region: from low-educated workers to high-educated workers.
 Spijkenisse is close to the North Sea and connected to the countryside, which are both important qualities of the urban environment

Representative:
 Mirjam Salet, Mayor of Spijkenisse, The Netherlands









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