The study of urban form in the Netherlands

Abstract

The study of urban form in the Netherlands has been heavily influenced by the Modern Movement and characterized by strong disciplinary specialization. On the one hand there is the distinction between art and engineering and on the other the search for instrumental universal rationality. This helps to explain the increasing interest, initially within academe, in the first English and German translations of some outstanding works of Italian researchers, who were at the time already acting as leaders in new perspectives in the fields of urban form and architecture. In keeping with the Dutch practical attitude, these investigations contributed to urban developments of the post-industrial era, beginning at the end of the 1970s. Today much of the study of urban form entails investigation of how global trends affect local systems and how local systems can be improved by analysing best practices. In that respect the Netherlands has been able to establish a leading role in contemporary architecture that is widely recognized within Europe.