Outside academia, I have been busy lately with the urban environment around our family home in Leiden. The local government initiated a drastic redevelopment of our street and its immediate surroundings. They published the ‘Gebiedsvisie Schipholweg’. Our neighborhood council, which I chair, was quick to organize the reactions and we succeeded. The Gebiedsvisie comes with major improvements, creating a far better urban landscape and meeting the goals of building the affordable houses Leiden needs so desperately. It also takes sustainable development very seriously. At the same time, the plans must be adjusted because of some unintended negative consequences. Our website Maredijkbuurt informs you in detail (in Dutch).
