Continuous renewal

Renewal has radically transformed many neighbourhoods across the Netherlands in recent decades. Unpopular houses, old blocks, derelict streets and deprived areas have been refurbished, rehabilitated, renewed, transformed or rebuilt. Despite such achievements, the character of renewal is likely to change in the future, not because every problem has been solved, but because the state's role is likely to diminish and to be replaced by communities, citizens, civil society and market participants. Much is expected of them, but how realistic is this? Are these actors willing and able to contribute and cooperate? What social trends will affect the renewal of towns and cities? What does improving ‘quality of life’ – a guiding principle of renewal – mean in this context? These are essential questions affecting the future of renewal in the Netherlands and, arguably, in all European countries.

Depending on the user, the target audience and the period, a range of terms has been used to refer to the process of changing towns and cities, including urban renewal, neighbourhood regeneration, housing renewal and urban restructuring (Droste et al, 2014). Urban renewal is used here to refer to all the spatial and physical activities that change a city, in close connection with social, economic and other perspectives. As a policy letter to the government stated (TK, 2010): ‘The central objective of urban renewal is to eliminate physical disadvantage and improve the living conditions in cities and neighbourhoods.’

In Dutch, the words stadsvernieuwing, stedelijke vernieuwing, herstructurering and wijkenaanpak are used interchangeably, with some minor different connotations, but all referring to the planned renewal or regeneration of a city, words which can be used interchangeably.

Renewal as a policy and as an activity

In housing and urban renewal, a distinction can be made between formal and informal activities. The first refers to the policies that governments develop; the second to what actually happens on the ground, through the contributions of local people, the market sector and other partners. Governments may set down policies on paper, yet in the meantime, renewal progresses organically: for example, local people make the streets greener, paint their homes and organise social activities.