The housing minister has declared the population decline in the Netherlands a national problem. Experts say communities need to begin accepting that there's going to be fewer Dutch people around in the future. With 16.5 million people and a population density of 488 per km2, the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries on the planet. It seems an unlikely country for ghost towns, such as can be found in eastern Germany or rural France. Yet that is exactly what experts are warning for. At a conference on Wednesday, government officials and researchers get together to discuss how Dutch municipalities can deal with a diminishing population. The Dutch minister for housing, Eberhard van der Laan, said he was "slightly depressed" after visiting the southern cities Heerlen and Maastricht earlier this year. There he saw what is unheard of in the west of the country - unoccupied houses, boarded-up shops, schools closing down and companies moving away. Van der Laan has since declared the population shrinkage a national problem.
With 16.5 million people and a population density of 488 per km2, the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries on the planet. It seems an unlikely country for ghost towns, such as can be found in eastern Germany or rural France. Yet that is exactly what experts are warning for.
At a conference on Wednesday, government officials and researchers get together to discuss how Dutch municipalities can deal with a diminishing population.
The Dutch minister for housing, Eberhard van der Laan, said he was "slightly depressed" after visiting the southern cities Heerlen and Maastricht earlier this year. There he saw what is unheard of in the west of the country - unoccupied houses, boarded-up shops, schools closing down and companies moving away. Van der Laan has since declared the population shrinkage a national problem.
Mmm. Perhaps a diary is in order.
