Currently the first signs of recovery of the financial crisis manifest within the Netherlands. Small urbanism explores effective ways for local government to deliver future urban development. The recession has revealed the weaknesses of the traditional, large developer and housing association.
As an alternative, smaller scale organisations and individuals could build future projects and implement spatial innovations. For this reason small-scale plots could be an advantage for local government and may reduce financial risk for land acquisition and development.
Incremental small-scale developments will define the wider housing needs and incorporate the specific conditions of each site. Small urbanism investigates project case studies in Porto, Birmingham, Hamburg and Malmö as examples of compact urban developments.
The small urbanism study highlights success stories and reveals how to achieve small-scale development in the Netherlands and abroad. Our recommendations indicate where municipalities can focus their attention and resources to achieve quality and effectiveness in future developments.