Land Use Planning in the Netherlands and the United States

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What can land use planners and decision-makers in the United States learn from planning practices in the Netherlands? The Netherlands has accepted comprehensive land use planning as a standard practice and integrates all levels of municipalities and communities in decision-making. However, in many municipalities in the United States, there are still difficulties in obtaining community action, control, and understanding of the existing plans and proposed policies.

The Netherlands and the United States have similar challenges in land use planning. Both countries must deal with urban sprawl, farmland preservation, and nature development and preservation. However, the history behind each country forms a basis for the differences in land use planning.

The Netherlands is one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in the world. The total area of the Netherlands is about 4,532 square kilometers (km) (slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey), with 15,892,237 (July 2000 est.) people. In comparison, the United States is the worldâs third largest country, with a total area of 9,629,091 square km and 275,562,673 people (The World Factbook, 2000). Additionally, the Netherlands gained its independence in 1579, while the U.S. acquired its more recently in 1776.

Furthermore, there are differences in the cultural attitude of the people towards sustainability a [1] nd environmental preservation. The Dutch have a conviction that environmental issues concern all members of the society, and it is everyoneâs responsibility to act accordingly (De Boer, 1998). Many Americans may have the same sentiments as the Dutch toward acting sustainably and working together across governments to obtain a better land use plan, but tho...

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...gan Society of Planning Officials, 21-45, 1-8.

Urban Arcadia. 1998. PlanAmsterdam (pp.24-32).

Van Den Brink, Ari. 2000. Land Use Planning in Utrecht. Utrecht: Utrecht Land Reclamation, Improvement, and Consolidation Service.

Van Lier, H. 2000. Dutch Land Use Planning, Legislation, and Process. Laboratory for Spatial Analysis, Planning and Design, WAU.

U.S. Census Bureau. n.d. Population Data, 1990. [On-line]. Available: htttp://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table_2.pdf

The World Factbook, ãThe Netherlandsä. [On-line]. Available: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nl.html

The World Factbook, ãThe United Statesä. [On-line]. Available: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html

Note:

1. The author visited the Netherlands as part of a Study Abroad course: Environmental Planning in the Netherlands.

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