'Scaling up integral area development is imperative'

Area developer BPD has completed more than 385,000 homes since 1946. As a purveyor of affordable housing in the Netherlands, the company shows heart for the integral development of residential areas. "Area development is not only about realizing housing, but also about creating a pleasant living environment with sufficient greenery and amenities," says CEO Harm Janssen. "The urgency to scale up is great right now."

BPD Bouwfonds Gebiedsontwikkeling (BPD) once started as Bouwspaarkas Drentsche Gemeenten and is permanently anchored in the construction need for affordable housing. "With Rabobank as a solid shareholder, we are used to working pleasantly with development and construction partners to make projects possible. Scale remains necessary to build efficiently and meet housing demand. I strongly advocate for more speed in the turnaround of processes. Sometimes it takes 15-20 years from start to finish when it comes to area development; now it often takes far too long due to objections from local residents and piling up of additional requirements from municipalities, during the process."

Utrecht

Utrecht, where Janssen was alderman and deputy mayor until 2010, whose portfolio included the redevelopment of the Stationsgebied, is a good example of the diversity of projects in which BPD is involved. "We are co-developing Merwedekwartier, one of the largest inner-city area transformations in the Netherlands. The Nieuwe Defensie subproject at the head of the Merwedekwartier is BPD's. Together with housing corporation Woonin, we are tackling part of Overvecht, by replacing outdated social rental housing and adding new, sustainable mid-rent and more social rental housing in our projects De Nieuwe Defensie and Oudenoord, where office building Concordia is being transformed into a residential building."

BPD research shows that a sustainable, pleasant living environment plays a decisive role in the perceived quality of living. "We often go beyond sustainability requirements when it comes to climate, nature and use of materials and spend a lot of time designing the area as a whole. In doing so, we have sufficient influence on creating a pleasant living environment. Area development is complex. It is physically impossible and undesirable to do everything indoors. Just because not everyone wants to live in the city. This is often lost sight of in the discussion. We have to be practical, work together a lot and apply customization."

Public Housing

New construction on the edges of built-up areas and in rural areas remains necessary, Janssen argues. "If all plans for the 1 million additional homes are implemented, the percentage of built-up space in the Netherlands will increase by 1%." The BPD CEO (since late 2023 and before that as general manager of BPD Netherlands) has seen the spectrum from many angles in recent years and has also experienced various cyclical fluctuations in the housing market. "But the general line remains the continuing demand for housing; it is of all times. It is good that the Ministry of Housing has been reinstated; now, for example, you can see an expansion location like Gnephoek near Alphen aan den Rijn gaining momentum again through the active involvement of a minister."

The same applies to the smoothing of housing development in Rijnenburg near Utrecht. "We cannot do without a framing national government. The abolition of the landlord levy is also a desirable development, because it increases the corporations' investment space. We desperately need cooperation with development partners and implementing parties; area development does not happen on its own. We then do what we are good at, coordinating these kinds of complex processes. So that residents can ultimately say, 'How nice I live here'."