ABSTRACT
The Dutch National Environmental Policy Plan 4 (NEPP4) has introduced a new approach to integrate environmental quality in local land use plans. The environmental sector will focus on the qualities, possibilities, problems and challenges of local areas instead of concentrating on supplying general environmental standards and norms concerning the environmental quality for the country as a whole. The starting point in the new approach is that the required quality of an area will be primarily defined by the land use functions of that area: housing requires a different environmental quality than offices, industry or traffic. In the area approach there is a direct confrontation with the other policy sectors and interests, such as landowners, developers, land use planners and economic interests. The environmental interests are not always strongly represented in the decision-making processes. The new approach is developed in a joint project with the organizations of the Dutch local communities, provinces and water boards.
