Promoting an urban renaissance in England and the Netherlands

Recent government policy documents in both England and the Netherlands make reference to the need to promote urban living and working—an ‘urban renaissance’. Promoting urban living and working offers various potential benefits such as improving urban vitality, reducing the need to travel and using land more efficiently. Nevertheless, promoting urban living and working is still problematic and there is widespread belief within Europe (especially in northern Europe) that ‘non-urban’ areas (that is to say areas outside large urban centres—suburbs, small towns and more rural areas) are more attractive in terms of a better environment, lower levels of crime and a greater sense of community for example. In addition, there is a variety of obstacles to promote urban living and working which currently reduce the chance of achieving such a renaissance. This paper gives an overview of recent national policies in England and the Netherlands that attempt to promote urban living and working, focusing particularly on policies for mixed-use development as one means of achieving an urban renaissance. Policy obstacles are identified and discussed, and potential ways of overcoming these obstacles are proposed.