The Dutch municipality of Almere continues to expand at a rapid pace and predictions of economic growth in the region are now above the national average, at about 4% annual growth for 2004/2005. Forecasts of the number of new residents requiring housing over the next few decades are rising so sharply that a massive bout of urbanisation from the coastal conurbation to the relatively open district of Flevoland is unavoidable. As the economy and popu-lation of Almere expand, there will be growing pressure on nature, landscapes and the environment.
At the request of the environmental NGO Natuur en Milieu Flevoland, CE Delft has published a challenging report on options for structural funding of a future ‘Almere Sustainability Fund’ with which to finance sustainable development projects going beyond legislative standards or current practice. The publication describes a wide range of traditional and innovative funding options, fal-ling into three broad categories: compulsory, voluntary and via cost savings.