Designing Urban Experiences for a Suburban Population: The Case of Almere (Netherlands)

In the planning of Almere special attention was paid to establishing attractive 

surroundings for modern middle class living. Accordingly the city was developed as a 

network of suburbs with ample space for gardens, parks etc., and with an infrastructure aimed 

at keeping different forms of transportation separate. For years the main attraction of the area 

was, that it provided comfortable housing in a relatively cheap way. Hence the population of 

Almere has grown to 185.000 inhabitants over the last 30 years, and it is now amongst the 10 

largest cities in the Netherlands. Moreover, as a consequence of the governmental policy for 

future regional development, agreed upon in the 1990es, Almere remains a kernel for future 

growth. The population of the city is expected to extend further in the next decades. In 2030 it 

should thus have 350.000 inhabitants, becoming by then the fifth largest city in the country. 

 Presently, the population’s satisfaction with living in Almere is relatively high, and 

emigration from the region to the “old mainland” is sparse. So the city faces the challenge of 

remaining an attractive place for its present inhabitants, while at the same attracting new 

dwellers, and also new segments of citizens with other preferences and more pronounced 

expectations (esp. upper middle class, which at the time being are largely absent). To face 

these challenges, the city council in 1995 decided to develop a new city centre, which should 

enhance Almere’s regional appeal and create a truly modern and attractive urban environment 

in what used to be a symbol of suburbia. The plan focused not only on building office space 

and commercial sites but also explicitly on generating opportunities for urban experiences. 

The famous Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas (OMA) was commissioned to make the master 

plan and supervise the project. By now the project is reaching completion, and the aim of our 

paper is thus to evaluate in how far the plan has succeeded in creating urban experiences.