Zijdebalen: densification on historical inner-city grounds  

Until 1816, one of the largest silk factories in the Netherlands was located in Zijdebalen. Other industrial and commercial uses occupied the land as the factory closed, including a bread factory that closed its doors in 2004. At this point, the city of Utrecht understood the potential for this area to be developed into housing. Its proximity to the city's historic centre and central train station made it a prime location for inner-city development. 

Nonetheless, the development of Zijdebalen presented a major planning challenge. The developer intended to add a large number of new housing units, seeking to make the development financially feasible given the high investments made in the land acquisition. In an already dense inner-city neighbourhood, this meant additional constraints on parking, public space, green space, traffic, and other infrastructure. Constant negotiations took place between all actors involved to ensure that the development met the city's liveability standards while ensuring profitability for the developers. Compromises were inevitable. 

Among others, the provision of sufficient public green spaces proved challenging, given the constraints of space in the public realm. As a solution, the city and the developers negotiated special regulations foreseeing public access to the project's green inner yards, functioning as an extension of the public space. Yet, as soon as residents moved into the completed buildings, the negotiated planning regulations did not suffice for these green spaces to be effectively public. As the new residents closed off the public entrances to the inner yards, the city was unable to secure public access to green spaces.