Why Nature-Inclusive Development Matters

Björn Bleumink, head of Rotterdam studio, explains how nature-inclusive and biodiverse developments in the Netherlands protect species and habitats and create more welcoming, socially inclusive places.

In 2014 the central government of the Netherlands committed to protecting, improving and enhancing the natural environment across the country. The policy document entitled The Natural Way Forward was developed in response to a reported decrease of up to 15% in the quality and quantity of nature in the Netherlands. To halt this decline, the paper sets out the government’s ambitions for natureinclusive design by embedding it into society, including during construction and development.

In 2019 the government’s ambition was updated and extended with The Netherlands Nature Positive. The document connects the movement for greater biodiversity and conservation to important social considerations such as circular agriculture, the energy transition, the increasing need for housing, infrastructural development and drastically reducing the NOx deposition.

These sobering figures and policy developments show the true impact of climate change and how it represents a fundamental challenge to the way we perceive and live with nature. Over development, air and ground pollution and decreasing green zones in our cities puts pressure on biodiversity; for example, recent research shows a concerning decline in insects in recent decades. As a result, larger animals are experiencing increasing difficulties in finding new habitats with sufficient food and nesting possibilities. The ecosystems in our cities and towns are breaking down.

Dutch people have always had a strong affiliation with nature, especially water. The polders below sea level and the reclaimed land require constant attention to prevent flooding. Finding smart solutions to make the water problem manageable has led to a collective way of thinking that connects the Dutch people and gives us identity. We must take the same approach to save nature: a collaborative system that is embraced by society as a whole and embedded in all levels of governance.

Vogelenzang, Rhenen

Until recently, we were dependent on the willingness of developers to invest in a nature-inclusive and climateadaptive design. Fortunately, due to policy changes and pressure from social movements we have seen a shift in the industry, stimulated by increasing public pressure to replace the traditional business models of urban development for more sustainable alternatives. Developers have a growing interest in embracing nature in their future developments, understanding its added value, not only for the development itself, but also for the wider area and current and future residents.

Zeist, Kerckebosch

Nature-inclusive and climate-adaptive principles have always formed an integral and self-evident part of our urban design strategy. Valuing the genius loci also means valuing local flora, fauna and eco-systems. Together with clients and municipalities we are striving to strengthen these natural structures by embedding them as key elements in our designs.

Monnikenhuizen in Arnhem, for example, is an excellent example of a nature-inclusive neighbourhood in which urban design and architecture strengthens the local ecosystem. A former football stadium, the centre of the site was treeless and flat. It had lost its original relationship with its surroundings, due to the abrupt level differences of up to 25 metres at the edges. Our design took inspiration from the wooded spaces on the periphery of the development, drawing on the topography of the area and reconnecting the sloping terrain of the former stadium to the surrounding forests with fully-grown oak and birch trees. The result was a mix of residential areas and nature-inclusive places, incorporating wildflower meadows and planted terraces repurposed from excavated materials, together with wetland areas created from rainwater run-off and outdoor community spaces built using natural materials. Today, around 20 years after the completion of the project the development abounds with bees, birds and healthy wildlife protected by a community that engages with, and enjoys nature as part of everyday life.

At Treffpunkt Bürgerpark in Dusseldorf an open green landscape creates an open and accessible link between city and river above the centre of regional democracy.

In a similar way, we recently transformed a former quarry in Rhenen into the residential area of Vogelenzang. It forms a key project in the ambitious plan to connect two national parks by opening a passage for red deer along the banks of the Nederrijn. Considering the high ecological value of the quarry lake and the steeply forested slopes, only a third of the location is used for housing, with the existing flora and fauna preserved to accommodate the deer population. Vogelenzang is not only nature-inclusive, but also a sociallyinclusive neighbourhood. With more than 30% affordable housing, the natural surroundings of the riverbanks, the lake in the former quarry and a sponge park on the lowest spot in the neighbourhood, it is perfectly designed as a setting for social encounters across all strata of society.

In a country like the Netherlands, where nature and culture are intertwined, our holistic masterplanning vision embraces nature, cultural history and society. By balancing these considerations we are able to respond to our national ambition to design the most inclusive developments possible. In doing so, we can add significant value to peoples’ lives, the social fabric, the business community and the progressive and sustainable places of the future.

Two bridges formed as a sequence of circles span a canal at the entrance of Amsterdam Osdorp Business Park leading to a pedestrian plaza with open views over an ecological zone.