Evaluation

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Urbanism & Master Planning

Early reviews of the success of Leidsche Rijn as an extension of urban Utrecht and the antithesis of Dutch suburbanization have been mixed but cautiously optimistic. Income levels of new residents are considerably higher than the Utrecht province average, suggesting that Leidsche Rijn hasn't yet achieved the economic diversity that it aspired to in the master plan.

There is also concern that the new development has been growing much like a traditional suburb, in which families and individuals with the means and desire to leave Utrecht pack up and settle in perceived countryside of Leidsche Rijn. Financial concerns in the early development of individual neighborhoods have led to decisions to increase the construction of higher-end homes, which could exacerbate this trend.

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Langerak, one of the first neighborhoods to be completed, has been received by some critics as "nothing more than an attractively designed suburb for young families with a child, a dog and a car." The flexibility and fluidity envisioned in the master plan was intended to allow residents to have an active role in making their communities their own.

Local design of the community courtyards is intended to be a mainstay of this concept, however many of the courtyards were quickly used and declared as parking lots, and the construction of private fences beyond the height and placement permitted by the master plan has become a significant problem.

The flexibility of the master plan to allow for local decision-making appears to have left the distinction between the public and private realm ill-defined for the new inhabitants, and the response has been a typically suburban one of carving out space for private enjoyment and automobiles.

These small-scale land use decisions being made by the early residents have the potential to greatly impede increased densities - a main intent of the master plan.

Critics of the early colonization of Leidsche Rijn are quick to admit that the small amount of initial development can't be taken as a basis for judging the project as a whole. The greater presence of automobiles and parking lots than planned, for example, is a response to be expected because of delays in the construction of major transportation links. The resemblance of young neighborhoods to a more suburban than urban likeness can be viewed as an early stage in the evolution of a dense neighborhood.

Historical models of city neighborhoods that have experience rapid growth have typically been entirely unplanned, resulting from bursts of employment opportunities and immigration, and resulting in undesirable, unsustainable, and unhealthy densities and living conditions. The planned, sustainable nature of Leidsche Rijn place in more in the realm of the neighborhood which gradually densifies as the prospect of living there becomes attractive to higher numbers and different types of people.

The challenge for Leidsche Rijn in this respect is to defeat the suburban problem of dispersed resources. The initial web of infrastructure is what must remain elastic and accommodating to different levels of density; residents should be able to inhabit neighborhoods at all stages of growth. Early review of the success of Leidsche Rijn is, in this respect, that development is on the right track. The master plan is ensuring that growth is being directed where desired and prevented where it is not. Neighborhoods will no doubt experience some growing pains as the amenities of the early suburban pattern, such as excessive numbers of cars per residence, give way to the demands of scarcity as density increases. The basic layout, however, will be able to accommodate growth rather than freeze after certain densities are reached, as occurs in sprawling suburban development.

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Environmental Quality & Sustainability

It is difficult to assess the success of the environmental quality and sustainability measures applied in Leidsche Rijn while the project is still under construction. Some measures, such as the centralized heating system, low impact homes, and the open space system taking shape, can be reliably assumed effective in contributing to the goals of reducing the environmental impact of the development.

Others measures, namely the water quality and preservation measures, have experienced growing pains as the development progresses and cannot be fully assessed until the development is complete. For example, in the neighborhoods that have been built, the wadi and other infiltration devices are fully installed and form prominent design features within the landscape. This high visibility presents both tremendous opportunity and imperative to educate residents on the purpose and proper stewardship of the infiltration system. Rules surrounding car washing, pet control, and the use of treated wood products in the landscape have been established to preserve the integrity of the wadi, however there is evidence that of a lack of awareness has led to some residents not following the rules and presenting a threat to water quality.

A water quality incident in 2002 had the unfortunate impact of reducing confidence in the experimental water systems intended to make Leidsche Rijn a sustainable development. In December 2002, an accidental cross-connection occurred between the mains for potable and non-potable water, impacting approximately 4,000 homes and resulting in 200 documented cases of gastroenteritis. In order to restore public confidence in the water system, health officials decided in 2003 to terminate the pilot and future dual water supply schemes for the Netherlands. This incident has received world-wide attention by those interested in urban water conservation schemes, and represents both an unfortunate setback for dual water supply schemes and a large-scale, real world scenario to be used as a teaching tool for future systems of this type.

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Transferability

The master planning process for Leidsche Rijn represents a significant shift for Dutch urbanism, which has traditionally been dominated by the state both in terms of planning and finances. Political and economic changes have contributed to a more pluralistic process, and the master planner's "Orgware" concept was a natural evolution. Similar changes in the political and planning processes are occurring in other parts of the developing and developed world, and the processes employed and lessons learned could provide a rich resource for other communities planning growth.

The approach to water management and sustainability in Leidsche Rijn is distinctly Dutch in that the Netherlands has reached an environmental precipice much sooner than many other places in the world. This imperative has placed sustainability and water management as a high priority in Dutch policy, removing a major hurtle faced in many communities in the large-scale implementation of cutting-edge sustainability techniques. The 2002 water quality incident is a telling example of the risks involved with trying experimental systems. In this respect, it is reasonable to expect that the road to a successful implementation of the Leidsche Rijn master plan will experience some bumps and roadblocks. Ultimately, communities less inclined to occupy the frontier of sustainable design benefit from tremendous learning opportunities offered by the Dutch drive and willingness to experiment with new ways to build the city.