Hilversum
Hilversum, Netherlands

The concept of the Garden City originates from the second half of the nineteenth century, as an answer to the miserable urban housing and health conditions at the time. The Garden City is a strong social, economic, and spatial concept. Well-designed social housing in a healthy environment would establish strong communities with opportunities for all.

Hilversum grew rapidly from a residential village into a small town after the construction of the railway in 1874, attracting a lot of industries and workers. To create affordable housing the City Council counted on housing corporations that were emerging after the Housing Act was passed in 1901. In 1908 the Council of Hilversum decided to develop its extension plans according to the ideas of the Garden City Movement.

In 1915 Hilversum hired City Planner and Architect Willem Dudok. He was assigned to design a new town hall for a growing city and extension plans according to the quality and beauty of a Garden City. Dudok would work for Hilversum for more than 50 years. He worked together with different housing associations and architects, and established a municipal construction company to set the example. He realised a strong relationship between the urban layout, beautiful architecture and the green spaces connected to the surrounding nature. He worked closely together with the Head of Public Gardens, landscape designer Jan Meijer. Because of the focus on social housing, Hilversum not only grew into an attractive green city with beautiful architecture, but also managed to realise the social ideals of the Garden City concept, by a wide range of public facilities and affordable housing. Dudok advanced a sense of community by creating public facilities such as schools, a sports park, greenery, and public squares. The result was a compact but pleasant Garden City surrounded by protected nature areas, still adding to the civic pride of its inhabitants.