ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the land-use planning in the Netherlands. It explains how the Dutch want their land to be used: that is the content of Dutch spatial policy, including agreements and disagreements about that. The book explores the planning agencies are described, the formal powers that they have for planning, including the relationships between the agencies. It considers the formal powers which those agencies have been given for realising those plans, building permissions, compulsory purchase, and so on. The formal powers described in book are felt by many Dutch people to be inadequate for realizing all the ambitions, so the Dutch practice pro-active non-statutory planning. The book states, some examples are given of projects which have been, or are being, realised by pro-active planning: these are the kinds of projects which attract attention and followers, nationally and internationally.
