During the G5 debate at PROVADA, the directors of area development for Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Eindhoven will go into conversation about the current state of urban development and housing construction—with one central question: what innovation is needed to accelerate housing construction effectively?
The challenge is clear and urgent: 100,000 new homes per year. But in day-to-day practice, it proves difficult to move plans into implementation. Municipalities are facing ever higher requirements for area development while, at the same time, there is a serious shortage of people and financial resources. Added to this is that development assignments are often not organised tightly enough. Plans stall at the feasibility stage due to a stacking of requirements, civil servants being guided by political dynamics, lack of funding, and the fact that clear choices and direction from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations are lacking. Over the past few years, considerable effort has been put into building up a large pipeline of plans, but progress to realisation has stalled. At the moment, more locations are being added mainly: from 17 NOVEX areas to 21 large-scale housing development locations, and now also 24 breakthrough locations. However, the large ‘soft’ pipeline of plans can lead to fragmentation and may in turn cause delays. When everything is given priority, nothing is prioritised. What is missing is a single, coordinated direction in order to push through.
The coalition agreement states that it is time to get “down to business”, and the G5 debate arrives at just the right moment. The G5 directors share inspiration, learn from each other’s approaches and explore whether they can formulate a clear call to the market and government together: what do municipalities really need in order to deliver? Evelyn Rademaker (partner at Fakton Executives) joins as an expert for a critical assessment. As the originator of the Parallel Plans approach, she challenges the G5 sharply on what does and does not work in today’s practice. The aim is to draw lessons from urban reality, so that experiments are refined into standard solutions. The debate is moderated by Michael Hesp (director at Fakton Consultancy). A special moment is that Erik Faber (partner at Fakton Development), after eight G5 debates, says farewell to the organisation and looks back on the themes that have passed in review.
As a public attendee, you will gain the latest insights during this debate into what is really going on at municipalities and the directors of area development: where they get stuck, where they do achieve results, and which process innovations offer prospects. Think of experiments and ways of working such as ‘Gewoon Goed’ (Amsterdam), the Utrecht Approach and Fast Track (Utrecht) and national initiatives such as Parallel Plans. In addition, there is room for interaction: you can ask questions, contribute your thoughts and exchange experiences. Whether you work for a municipality, a market party, a housing corporation, an advisory firm or the government: this is the moment to hear what practice is calling for—and to join the conversation that matters.
