3 months Ago
A Shortage Felt in Every City
The housing crisis is not just a word anymore, across The Netherlands you can find it on Amhedam or Groningen. Some families are being kept in one-bedroom flats because they cannot be rehoused even though everyone agrees they need a bigger place.
Experts say much of the hangover can be blamed on overly rigid building codes, restrictive zoning rules and approval processes that mean construction takes longer than it needs to.
“We Need to Build, Not Block”
But urban planners and economists consistently say that as important as environmental and safety regulations are, the system in use is weighted up front, causing unnecessary delays and multiplying costs.
“Not proposing to completely do away with every safeguard,” Highlighted one housing policy researcher.
"Others aren't so sure — But with thousands of people living on the street, we have to start questioning whether a few rules are actually making things worse." Builders note that speedier approvals and streamlined regulations could allow for new housing ideas from modular homes to unutilized office property conversions.
The Human Toll of Red Tape
The statistics translate into stories — of students sleeping on couches while they wait for somewhere to live, couples living in cramped starter appartments long after they should have found somewhere bigger and elderly residents unable to downsize because smaller homes don't exist.
"It wears you out,” said one Rotterdam resident who has been waiting for almost eight years. “Put your life on hold because you are waiting for permission to live somewhere.
A Call for Political Will
Going easier on the rules is only one piece of impact investment, experts also agree that political will is crucial. They make the case for a greater cooperation between national and local governments to rationalize building permts, foster public-private partnership incentive mechanisms and cut red tape.
But the alternative, they say, would be for Seattle to experience an even worse housing crisis than it does now, leading more people into homelessness.
An Opportunity to Lay The Foundation For What´s Next
Reform advocates are pressing for the long-term solution: new rules to fix supply disparities like those in Seattle — and ideally to create a more stable housing future, where homes are more efficient and built at a rate that can actually accommodate demand.
To many in the Netherlands, that message is loud and clear the time for talking about a housing crisis was over —it was time to start building an escape from it.
