Quality without growth

This advisory report examines how environmental quality is to be achieved in future.
Attaining environmental quality in less prosperous times

On 23 April 2014, the Council presented its advisory report, 'Quality without growth; on the future of the built environment' to the Minister for Housing and the Central Government Sector, Mr Stef Blok.

In this report, the Council considers how environmental quality is to be attained in future. Environmental quality used to be financed, at least in part, with the revenue derived from municipal land development activities. Due to the economic situation of recent years, this source of funding has been seriously depleted. New ways to achieve environmental quality must therefore be sought. The Council further identifies a number of other restrictions imposed by the current system. It recommends that local authorities should be given even more explicit responsibility for environmental quality, and should also be offered means to generate additional income to support their ambitions in this area. Users (residents, businesses, etc.) should be allowed greater opportunity to match quality to their own wishes and requirements.