PLANNING FOR DECLINE: ANTICIPATING ONPOPULATION DECLINE IN THE NETHERLANDS

摘要

Some regions in The Netherlands have been experiencing population decline in the lastdecade(s). Although decline figures are much lower than in more traditional areas of decline inEurope, Dutch planners and policy-makers feel the need to develop several strategies of planningfor decline. This paper gives an overview of regional population trends in the Netherlands up to2040, showing that at the regional level, population growth and decline can occur next to eachother in both urban and rural areas. The number of single-person households is expected tocontinue growing. However, single households form a varied group, and population trends differsubstantially between urban and rural areas. The strategies applied by policy-makers who focus, sofar, on accommodating decline through measures on the housing market are analysed. Next tothis, some additional policy alternatives are discussed.