Comprehensive prosperity

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Broad Well-being comprises three groups:

• Residents currently living in the Netherlands (here and now)
• Residents living in the future (later)
• Residents who live elsewhere (in other places)

For example, ‘Broad Prosperity’ looks at:

• Whether residents have a nice home
• How beautiful nature is
• Whether residents feel safe and healthy
• How good the relationships are with family, friends and neighbours

All these things together determine how well someone can live.

Brede Welvaart in Apeldoorn

In Apeldoorn, too, we believe that comprehensive well-being is important. We want our residents to thrive – not just in one area, but across several areas at once.

That is why, as a local authority, we look beyond just the economy or health. We want to develop policies that benefit everything that contributes to a good quality of life. Sometimes a measure helps in one area but has drawbacks in another. It is important to think this through carefully.

We use ‘Broad Well-being’ to foster meaningful discussion: what really matters for life in Apeldoorn, both now and in the future? ‘Broad Prosperity serves as a tool enabling the council to take comprehensive and well-considered decisions, whilst always allowing the municipal council the scope to weigh up, from a political perspective, the impact of the decision on the various aspects of Broad Prosperity.’.

The municipality of Apeldoorn focuses on three key themes within the ‘Broad Prosperity’ framework:

1. Society – such as health, safety and social contacts
2. Economy and income – such as work, income and livelihood security
3. Living environment – such as nature, housing and climate

This framework enables us to take a closer look at what is needed to ensure a good quality of life for everyone in Apeldoorn.

How do we work with ‘Broad Well-being’?

Comprehensive Well-being is not just an idea, but also a way of working. It helps us to look beyond our own field of expertise. We draw connections between different areas, such as the physical domain (for example, housing and nature) and the social domain (such as care, work and wellbeing).

By working in this way, we gain a better understanding of what residents need to live well.

What are we, as a local authority, doing about ‘Broad Well-being’?

In 2022, ‘Comprehensive Well-being’ was included in the coalition agreement. It has become the overarching framework for how we operate as a local authority. Everything we do starts with the question: does this contribute to a better quality of life for our residents, both now and in the future?

We don’t just look at the short term, but also at what our choices mean for the future. And we don’t just consider the consequences within a single area, but rather in the broader context.

For example: When we redesign a neighbourhood, we don’t just think about traffic or buildings. We also consider whether residents feel safe there, whether there is space for people to meet, and whether the natural environment is well looked after.

Comprehensive Well-being Data Window

It can be found on the ‘Apeldoorn in Figures’ website Data window: Broad Prosperity. This overview brings together data from various sources. It shows the three components of Broad Well-being and how they are interrelated. The window displays figures on topics such as health, work, housing and the environment. These figures are taken from existing studies. Particular attention is paid to developments in Apeldoorn. Anyone wishing to find out more can click through to the sources and reports.

Why is this important?

Comprehensive Well-being shows that everything is interconnected. The way we design a neighbourhood affects how healthily its residents live. Health and the environment cannot, therefore, be viewed in isolation from one another.

By working with ‘Broad Prosperity’:

• Let’s think beyond a single topic
• Will we be able to see more quickly how policy affects several things at once?
• Let’s make choices that are good for people, nature and the future

That is why we are increasingly structuring our organisation around this way of working. Our multi-annual budget (MPB) has been updated so that you can see more clearly how our plans contribute to Broad Prosperity.

We will continue to expand this in the coming years.