‘Build’ and ‘Decide Everything for Yourself’ On This Dutch Commune

In Oosterwold in the Netherlands, a commune where, so long as you follow certain rules, including dedicating at least half your land to farming, you can build your home any way you choose.

The 43-square-kilometre (17-square-mile) green space in Almere, near Amsterdam, allows residents to move at their own pace and according to their means and desires.

This piece of land on the Dutch polders — areas reclaimed from the water in one of the world’s lowest-lying nations — had long been used for organic farming. But in 2012 it was “returned to the people” under a scheme dreamed up by the architectural firm MVRDV and a Dutch politician.

The result is liberal even by Dutch standards. Once they have bought their plot, future residents have free rein to build housing without planning conditions. There are rules, but they are environmentally focused.

Buildings must be sustainable — preference is given to gas insulation, heat pumps and solar panels — while half of the land must be devoted to urban agriculture, and living and open spaces must be guaranteed.

Oosterwold is “unique”, locals proudly claim, although seven years after construction began, it’s not all that simple. Outsiders often have a “romantic image” of the project and can underestimate the flexibility and sheer determination needed to keep it running.

Oosterwold’s 2,600 residents have, for example, had to form associations to decide on the construction of roads — a subject of heated discussion in the cycling-mad Netherlands. Urban farming remains “a challenge” for those with no experience.The residents are of all ages and political opinions, but most have a high level of education. And while social housing is also being built, the increase in land prices does not promote diversity.

The initiative has also attracted many project developers, but future residents will still be bound by the conditions. A second phase of the initiative could draw lessons from the first. Authorities from the nearby city of Almere could for example take over some aspects, including certain roads and drainage. In total, it would provide 15,000 spaces for future housing, and a tenth have already been sold.