I Visited a 15 Minute City | Netherlands by Bike, Day 4
The Houten Model
Design Principles:
- The Inversion Theory: Unlike conventional development that prioritizes car traffic first, Houten was designed by starting with green spaces and people-centered infrastructure, with car access added later.
- Ring Road System: A circular road surrounds the community, containing all major vehicular traffic on the periphery. This critical design feature keeps cars on the outside, eliminating through-traffic from residential and commercial areas, unlike conventional urban planning that typically runs wide arterial roads through city centres.
- Central Spine: A pedestrian and cycling corridor connects the two train stations and provides access to schools, shops, and services.
- Strategic Car Access: Residents can drive to their homes, but the street network makes walking and cycling the fastest and most convenient options for internal trips.
- 15-Minute City: The town was designed so that all daily needs are within a 15-minute bike ride.
Key Features:
- Over 129 km of cycle paths, most of which are completely separated from car traffic
- Grade-separated crossings with underpasses where cycle routes intersect with the ring road, eliminating dangerous interactions between cyclists and high-speed vehicles
- Extensive green spaces integrated throughout the community
- Two train stations providing connections to Utrecht (just 10 minutes away)
- Clear separation of travel modes for safety
- Schools accessible via safe routes for children
History & Development
Prior to its development, Houten was a small village of about 3,000 people. In the mid-1970s, it was designated by the Dutch government as a growth centre to accommodate population expansion in the Utrecht region.
Urban planner Robert Dirks led the design team that created Houten's innovative plan in the late 1970s. The first construction phase (North Houten) began in the early 1980s, with the first homes completed in 1982-1983.
The southern expansion of Houten began in the 1990s, following the same design principles, with construction continuing into the 2000s. By 2018, Houten reached its target population of 50,000 residents.
What makes Houten remarkable is that it was built during the modern era when car-centric planning dominated most of the world. It proves that creating people-centered communities is entirely possible with the right vision and political will.
Houten's planning diagram showing the ring road and central spine
Life in Houten: A Resident's Perspective
In this interview by Active Towns, Kylie van Dam, a resident of Houten, shares her experience of living in this unique community. Originally from Australia, Kylie moved to Houten with her family after living in England, drawn by the cycling culture and people-oriented environment.
Key insights from Kylie's experience:
- The profound psychological benefits of living in a low-stress traffic environment
- The independence children enjoy from a young age
- How the urban design fosters social connections and community building
- The accessibility for people of all ages and abilities
- Houten is not a car-free community - most families own cars but use them selectively
Kylie emphasizes that what makes Houten special isn't just the infrastructure, but the underlying values it represents: prioritizing human connections, health, safety, and quality of life.
Outcomes & Results
Transportation Patterns
- 44% of all trips within Houten are made by bicycle
- 21% of trips are made on foot
- Only 35% of internal trips are made by car
- For trips to/from Houten, cycling still accounts for 25%
- Extremely low traffic accident rates
Quality of Life
- Quieter, cleaner environment with less pollution
- Children enjoy freedom of movement from a young age
- Strong sense of community with more face-to-face interaction
- Excellent public health outcomes
- Accessible for elderly and disabled residents
Economic Benefits
- Lower infrastructure maintenance costs
- Reduced healthcare costs due to active transportation
- Less money spent on car ownership per household
- Vibrant local businesses in walkable centres
- Diverse housing options at various price points
Recognition
- Named "Cycling City of the Netherlands" in 2008 and 2018
- Subject of numerous urban planning studies worldwide
- Regularly hosts international delegations studying its design
- Featured in urban planning textbooks and journals
Learn More
"The Green Embrace" Book Project
Urban planner Robert Dirks, who led the design of Houten, has written a comprehensive book about the planning principles, history, and implementation of Houten called "Het groen omarmd" (The Green Embrace).
Currently only available in Dutch, Kylie van Dam is leading a crowdfunding project to translate this valuable resource into English, making these lessons accessible to a global audience.
References and Further Reading
- Robin Hickman explores Houten in the Netherlands
- Bicycle Dutch: Houten, Cycling City of the Netherlands
- Bloomberg: A Case Study in Bike-Friendly Suburban Planning
- Nic Laporte: YouTube Channel / Bluesky / Instagram.
Special thanks to Nic Laporte for creating the featured video!
Lessons for Langley
While Houten was built as a new development, many of its principles can be adapted for existing communities like Langley:
- Rethinking Arterial Roads: Langley's pattern of wide arterial roads cutting through neighbourhoods and the city centre contrasts sharply with Houten's ring road approach. Redirecting through-traffic to peripheral routes while calming interior streets could dramatically improve livability.
- Grade Separation: Houten's extensive use of underpasses at busy intersections eliminates dangerous interactions between cyclists and high-speed vehicles—a model Langley could adopt to make cycling safer across major roadways.
- Incremental Implementation: Techniques like modal filters can gradually shift neighbourhoods to be more pedestrian and cycling friendly
- Backbone Networks: Creating safe, continuous cycling and walking routes that connect key destinations
- Neighbourhood Planning: New developments can adopt similar principles, even at a smaller scale
- Strategic Road Hierarchies: Rethinking how we organize traffic to prioritize living spaces
- The Value of Trust: Houten demonstrates that when given safe infrastructure, people will choose active transportation
The success of Houten challenges the notion that car-dependent development is inevitable in modern communities. It provides a working model of how intentional planning can create places that are more sustainable, more financially resilient, and more human-centered.
About Our Case Studies
These case studies were researched and compiled by Strong Towns Langley Chair, James Hansen, to identify successful implementations of people-first urban design principles that could inform development in our region.
Have a suggestion for a case study we should explore? Know of an interesting example of sustainable, financially resilient urban development?
Contact James directly at james@strongtownslangley.org, find him on our discord, or contact us with your ideas.
James Hansen
Strong Towns Langley Chair