What will the Netherlands look like in 2050? How can work be done to make our country future-proof? Radical choices are necessary to cope with the major challenges of our time, such as the transition to a climate neutral energy system and the transition to a circular economy. PosadMaxwan supported PBL with the national, regional and area-specific elaboration of the scenarios.
Four scenarios show what the Netherlands could look like in 2050. These future images can help policy makers make choices for spatial planning. The first phase involved an inventory and spatial analysis of the current situation, plans for the future situation and the relationship between spatial tasks in two regions, the Port Area of South Holland and the Lower Dommel Valley. The maps created for this purpose serve as a tool for discussion between different actors in the regions. The final product are the scenario maps, thematic map layers and areas. On the website of the project an interactive map viewer offers the possibility to compare them.
In the Global Entrepreneurial scenario, society is individualistic and market thinking dominates the economy. Large companies take the lead. Personal responsibility is paramount, including for sustainability. One of the characteristic developments in this future Netherlands is a greater contrast between further urbanization in the west and center of the Netherlands and quietness elsewhere in the country.
In the Fast World scenario, society breaks down into a variety of lifestyle groups. These bubbles find it important to distinguish themselves from one another. Most of life takes place in the digital domain; physical space is losing importance. Alliances of smaller, innovative companies and lifestyle groups are taking the lead in this future. They value flexibility. One consequence of this is a somewhat cluttered and changeable spatial layout of the country.
In the Green Country scenario, people see themselves as part of nature. They see greening as a collective public task and urge the central government to take the lead in this. In this future, respecting ecological boundaries is paramount, even at the expense of freedom to consume. Natural solutions dominate, for example by giving water more space. Building in this future will take place as much as possible within the existing city and concentrated around public transport hubs.
In the Regionally Rooted scenario, local and regional communities call the shots. People know each other, feel interconnected and take pride in their neighborhood, district and landscape. Together they take care of their immediate environment. In this future, urbanization is spread across the country; large cities have expanded on a small scale, smaller towns and villages have grown organically. Small scale and local and regional mixing of functions are the norm. People find what they need in their own region.
