ABSTRACT
The local authority for Amsterdam and environs has heavy commitments under the VINEX (Fourth Policy Document on Physical Planning-Plus, VROM 1996). The municipality of Amsterdam has also developed plans and projects for restructuring former dockland areas and using them as development sites. Here, too, it is a matter of planned development in a dynamic area, whereby a shift occurs from commercial and largely port-related activities to a mix of residential and business functions with a marked urban character. In Amsterdam this process goes hand in hand with conflicting demands between spatial wishes and environmental requirements. Amsterdam has shown considerable creativity, the effects of which are visible beyond its boundaries and have had an impact on national policies for spatial planning and the environment. The Amsterdam approach leads to policy innovation through acting to a certain extent 'in the spirit' of the law, according to a somewhat opportunistic view of policy opportunities and constraints. The 'grey' environment is seen less as a prescriptive limiting condition and more as a quality-determining element of policy on the physical environment, in which spatial and economic aspects are also considered.
