Senior government officials and Utrecht mayor Sharon Dijksma are among the participants who will be taking part in sessions on solving the affordable housing challenge and achieving sustainable urban growth.

This year, much of the Holland Metropole focus is on attracting investment, given the new Dutch government’s restated commitment to building 100,000 new homes a year.

The government has pledged to cut back on red tape and speed up procedures and is organising a major summit on housing later in 2024 in an effort to make sector-wide agreements.

‘This really is the right time to step into the Netherlands as a foreign investor,’ says Ronald Huikeshoven, managing director of area developer AM and new chairman of Dutch developers association Neprom. ‘The government is ready, developers are ready and the councils are ready. Everyone is combining their strengths to focus on affordable, residential area development.’

Experts estimate that some €400 bn needs to be invested in affordable, rental housing and that is a tremendous amount of money, says Mark Siezen, chief executive of real estate investor Bouwinvest. ‘It is a massive challenge to attract capital, but together we are committed to working on improving the investment climate. It is a shared public-private mission and a very necessary one.’

The Dutch housing market is attractive to foreign investors because it is highly transparent and mature, say experts. In addition, public-private partnerships have always been the norm and there is an important role for institutional investors.

The cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Eindhoven form the core of Holland Metropole, alongside leading real estate developers and investors.

Climate change, affordable development, the circular economy and sustainability are central to the alliance’s strategy. At the same time, each city has its own specialism. Amsterdam focuses on finance, the creative sector and IT; Utrecht on health, IT, and education; Rotterdam specialises in port services, transport, and clean tech; The Hague in diplomacy and cyber security; and Eindhoven focuses on advanced IT and materials science.