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THE NETHERLANDS -DAY OF SPATIAL PLANNING 2025 MINISTRY OF HOUSING & SPATIAL PLANNING
Create a conference based on the core question: how can we ensure the future sustainability of our country’s spatial planning — together?
For the Day of Spatial Planning, 500 representatives from the national government, local authorities, businesses, civil society organizations, and knowledge and educational institutions gathered at the NBC Conference Center to explore how we can design the Netherlands in a fair, smart, and future-proof way. Space is becoming increasingly scarce, and challenges are piling up — but that also brings positive effects: better collaboration and innovation.
The ability for different parties to find and connect with each other is crucial in a time when major demands — such as large-scale housing development, a growing defense force, nature conservation, water safety, sustainability of the economy, and energy supply — are all competing for the same limited space. In her opening remarks, Minister Mona Keijzer stated that “combining functions is the future.” The rest of the plenary program and 14 different breakout sessions shed light on various ways to achieve this.
While all parties are working hard to meet these challenges, preserving regional identity is essential to maintain connection with the local environment. During the program, regional identity was quite literally put in the spotlight: various artists performed musical tributes to the landscapes where they grew up. The event concluded with a video of the Advendo Korpsen from Sneek walking through the Frisian countryside — and to everyone’s amazement, just before the end, the marching band entered the room live.