Outdoor opportunities

Discover what’s possible in our outdoor space

Do you ever go for a stroll? Do the children play outside a lot? And do you easily strike up a conversation in the street, or do you ever meet up in the park? Without us realising it, our surroundings have a major influence on how we behave. The book *Buitenkansen* shows that our outdoor spaces have much more to offer than just grass, trees, paving slabs, a bench and some playground equipment. It also demonstrates that there are far more possibilities outdoors when it comes to play, exercise, sport, culture and socialising.

Urhahn Urban Planning & Strategy produced *Buitenkansen* on behalf of and in collaboration with the municipality of Apeldoorn and the province of Gelderland. The book is available to buy at the Nawijn & Polak bookshop in Apeldoorn and can be viewed online on the website of Urhahn.

An important outdoor space

Our outdoor spaces are very important to our residents. Over the coming years, we will be building a large number of homes in Apeldoorn. This cannot be achieved without also investing in outdoor spaces that are as inviting as possible – in both new and existing neighbourhoods, in our city and in our villages. We will be focusing on developing the city centre and the railway and canal zones to Apeldoorn’s high standards. This means creating vibrant urban neighbourhoods with plenty of green spaces and a diverse character, affordable for a range of groups. In these neighbourhoods, it is essential that inviting outdoor spaces are always close at hand.

‘Buitenkansen’ shows how a different approach to urban design makes it easier to adopt good habits. It also helps address the challenges of our time, such as climate change, quality of life and health.

Inspire

The aim of this richly illustrated book is to enthuse and inspire people involved in outdoor spaces and to stimulate discussion on the subject. In doing so, it also aims to contribute to improving the quality of existing and new projects. The book is intended for a wide range of people who work professionally with outdoor spaces – from designers and urban planners to community sports coaches and decision-makers. But it is certainly also aimed at engaged local residents who have ideas for the outdoor spaces in their own neighbourhood.

Each ambition has been developed into a number of outdoor opportunities: examples of how outdoor spaces can be made more attractive. In addition, five ‘exploratory studies’ from Apeldoorn have been included: the Loolaan, the Brummelhof neighbourhood, the canal banks, the Noord business park and the area around Omnisport. These illustrative examples bring together the ambitions and outdoor opportunities. They serve as inspiration for all manner of typical urban spaces in Dutch cities across the country.