On Wednesday 6 September, the Dutch House of Representatives’ Standing Committee on Home Affairs organized a roundtable discussion on architecture policy. The discussion, in which the IABR participated as a knowledge partner, focused on the lessons we can learn from the rich Dutch public housing tradition and on the instruments that the House can give to Dutch architecture to enhance its position, to ensure that it produces not only a lot of buildings, but also beautiful buildings.
IABR president Saskia van Stein took part in this discussion and contributed with a position paper.
"Housing is not an isolated issue. Creating the conditions for a socially inclusive, climate-resilient city and a fair housing market requires recognizing and engaging with a changed narrative. The policy sector and the architectural discipline face the challenge of harnessing design strength and imaginative power for the sake of this change and linking it to (integrated) spatial planning."
"It is a misconception to believe that managing architecture culture will lead to more housing being built. A good housing policy starts with a coherent policy, from which good commissioning can arise, followed by good design. It is important to prioritize quality over speed and quantity in order to build sufficient sustainable housing."
The roundtable was open to the public and took place in the House of Representatives building (Thorbeckezaal).
Download the position paper at the bottom of this page.
To read the other position papers, please click here (Dutch only).
