Designing the Netherlands. 100 Years of Past & Present Futures @ Nieuwe Instituut (2024)

Squatter’s manual from the archive of Jouke van der Bout. Collection Nieuwe Instituut, JVDB d18

Selected press and resources:
Designing the Netherlands: A look back at a thought-provoking exhibition
Virtual Exhibition Designing the Netherlands
Volkskrant: Een eeuw lang planologisch koffiedikkijken in de tentoonstelling ‘Nederland op de tekentafel’
Trouw: Planologen zagen ‘de kloof’ tussen Randstad en platteland 35 jaar geleden al aankomen

In the Netherlands, spatial planning is back on the drawing board, as government and architects try to find a response to the major societal and ecological challenges that affect us all, such as the climate crisis, housing, the energy transition and social justice. Designing the Netherlands is a collaboration with the Dutch Board of Government Advisors (CRa). With new design proposals as well as numerous examples from the architecture collection of the Nieuwe Instituut, this exhibition provides much-needed inspiration for a new vision of the design of our country.

The Netherlands has a long and influential tradition in spatial planning and design. What can we learn from it? How did designers deal with the challenges of their time? What solutions did they envision, and what world views lay behind them? By linking past, present and future, we see that the architecture collection provides inspiration for many social issues.