The emergence of inclusionary housing: Continuity and change in the provision of land for social housing in The Netherlands

After being introduced in the US in the 1970s, inclusionary housing is now found around the world. Even the Netherlands, which is known for its tradition of public land and housing provision, has adopted it. The aim of this paper is to trace how this change occurred by applying a theory of institutional change. This theory regards institutional change as a two-stage event. Critical junctures for institutional change are preceded by a critical moment in which hegemonic discourses and institutional paths are being challenged by external developments, internal institutional reflection, or a combination of both. In this paper, it is argued that active land provision by Dutch local authorities was challenged by changes in the land market and the dynamics in the social housing sector. These changes led to a critical moment in which public land policy came under pressure, creating a window for new institutional arrangements to be examined. Successful lobbying by housing associations during discussions on the new spatial planning act led to the introduction of inclusionary housing in statutory law. The paper concludes by arguing that the introduction of inclusionary housing does not constitute a break with the Dutch tradition of public provision of land, but is rather a modification of it.