The Netherlands Is boxifying– and we might just have to accept that.

Column by Karsten van Dijk

Space is a scarce commodity, especially in a small country like the Netherlands. That means we must make smart use of the space we have. This is a principle embraced by many urban planners and forms the foundation for the justification of government intervention in land-use development.

Still, not everyone agrees that land-use management in the Netherlands is going well. In addition to historical blunders—which only emphasize the importance of sound spatial planning— a slow-moving catastrophe is currently unfolding: vast areas of land are gradually being devoured by large, grey boxes. And we might just need to allow this at least to some extent, begrudgingly. 

Difficult and More Expensive

Combating the spread of "boxification" is difficult. We can’t really do without these gray boxes anymore. A lot of important things happen inside them: from storing your next Amazon package to producing components for the high-tech industry.

You might be wondering: can't these activities not at least be housed in nicer buildings? After all, weren’t older industrial buildings more attractive?Well, first of all: some of those were ugly too—they just happened to be demolished. It’s mostly the aesthetically pleasing ones that survived.Secondly: we can’t go back to prettier buildings. In order to store packages or help a risky start-up get off the ground, companies need the cheapest possible space. And corrugated metal, steel beams, and concrete blocks are simply cheaper than detailed brickwork, baked roof tiles and glass.

Expensive Space Has Consequences

More expensive business real estate would bring a host of unwanted side effects. If a company has to pay more for its space, its costs go up. This leaves a start-up with less financial room to invest in its technology, and even well-established companies might need to pass those increased costs on to their customers.

But more expensive business space doesn’t just mean slightly pricier products or a bit less innovation. It also leads companies to make different decisions with good and bath consequences. A multinational, for example, might move its warehousing across the Dutch border, leading to longer supply routes, more road usage, and therefore more traffic congestion, not to mention increased CO₂ emissions. On top of that, businesses are likely to keep less inventory if it costs more to store things, making supply chains more vulnerable.

Concealing the Problem

Still, none of that is the main reason we should tolerate boxification or why industrial buildings should remain "ugly." In fact, there are relatively affordable ways to make these boxes look better, such as decorative cladding or professional graffiti art.

No, the reason industrial buildings should remain ugly is because otherwise, we disguise the true consequences of our actions. The mass-boxification of the Netherlands is a direct result of our hyper-consumption, both physical and digital. Everything we order online, every video we stream, it all needs to be stored, sorted, and shipped from somewhere. And at the scale we do all of the those activities, that takes up a lot of space.

If you drive this negative land use abroad through higher costs, as explained above, you’re still just shifting the burden elsewhere. Sugar-coating the impact of your own behaviour once again. Not to mention the loss of jobs and the hindrance of economically vital innovation.

Workers and Bystanders

Of course, this doesn’t mean industrial areas should be ‘’completely’’ ugly. Many people work in these boxed-up zones, and they too deserve a decent work environment. Moreover, cyclists and pedestrians who need to travel through or to places in industrial areas should also encounter reasonably pleasant infrastructure and provisions.

At first, this seems like a dilemma: how do we allow boxification without ruining the quality of life for people who didn’t do anything to cause the boxification? luckily, there are solutions. The boxification itself must remain, to avoid greenwashing our land use but that doesn’t apply to the public space around the boxes. With well-designed green corridors in grey areas, we can preserve pleasant bike and walking paths and provide opportunities for lunch walks in decent surroundings.

Looking Ahead

Boxification won’t improve in the future either. New EU and NATO policies aimed at ramping up arms production and attracting essential industry mean greater demand for large industrial lots and resources for nicer buildings spred more thingly. So instead let’s direct our resources toward more public green space in grey zones.