Excerpts

Urban renewal through the large-scale restructuring of post-war neighbourhoods is a major challenge throughout Europe in the decades ahead. Current urban restructuring programs in the Netherlands focus on the demolition and replacement of the existing housing stock. The motivation behind this strategy is creating a better social mix between "poor" and "better-off" households, to improve the general quality of the housing stock and to create a financially viable restructuring program. The general aim is to improve various aspects of sustainability in urban neighbourhoods. Are demolition and replacement strategies the most effective and efficient way to achieve this objective? In this book, we examine the effects of demolition and replacement strategies on sustainability from different perspectives. An economic perspective: the market position and the value of the neighbourhoods, a social perspective: the levels of social capital and residential stability, and an environmental perspective: the energy efficiency and the use of materials in restructuring strategies. Excerpted from Sustainable neighbourhood Transformation by Vincent Gruis, Henk Visscher, R. J. Kleinhans All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.