Environmental Vision Zoetermeer 2040

Zoetermeer has a long history. Parts of the city are more than a thousand years old. In the 1960s, Zoetermeer was designated as a growth center (new town). A new city was created based on the best insights of the time: spacious, green, safe, accessible, and with a wide range of amenities (education, culture, sports, healthcare). As a planned city, Zoetermeer grew from a close-knit village community with a few thousand residents into a community of 130,000 residents.

Zoetermeer is now making the transition from planned growth to the gradual further development of the city. In this phase, the city is seeking a new balance between continued growth, socioeconomic strength, and a diverse society. In short, we are evolving into a city in balance. We have outlined what we are doing to achieve this and how we are doing it in our environmental vision.

What is an environmental vision?

An environmental vision outlines how a municipality intends to develop in the long term. The vision focuses on the physical living environment: the surroundings in which we live and work.

There is a single environmental vision for the entire municipality. It sets out the goals for areas such as housing, employment, transportation, green spaces, the energy transition, and services such as healthcare, schools, and sports facilities.

Why is the municipality developing an environmental vision?

Zoetermeer continues to evolve. The choices we make today will shape the future development of our city. That is why the municipality has drawn up an environmental vision: the Zoetermeer 2040 Environmental Vision. This vision provides guidance for the choices we make both now and in the future.

Every municipality develops an environmental vision. This is required under the Environment Act. The same applies to all provinces and the national government. An environmental vision outlines how various aspects of the living environment are interconnected. These include, for example: land use, water, the environment, nature, landscape, health, mobility, and cultural heritage. Zoetermeer’s environmental vision also addresses other topics, such as community life, education, and employment.

What does the Zoetermeer 2040 Environmental Vision say?

The Zoetermeer 2040 Environmental Vision outlines how Zoetermeer plans to develop through 2040. The environmental vision consists of two parts.

Part I: The Zoetermeer 2040 Vision

This document outlines the city’s vision for the future, broken down into six main points. The city council adopted this section on January 31, 2022.

Part II: Zoetermeer Spatial Strategy

This document outlines how and where we intend to implement the vision for the city’s future. The spatial decisions have been translated into a vision map. This map illustrates how the key elements from Part I are being translated into a spatial plan. The city council adopted Part II on October 13, 2025.

Part I and Part II together form the Zoetermeer 2040 Environmental Vision.

View the Zoetermeer 2040 Environmental Vision via the following links:

Watch the videos

In these videos, you'll learn more about the two parts of the environmental vision:

Vision Map: Zoetermeer Environmental Vision 2040

Why was an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared?

The environmental vision outlines decisions that will influence the city’s development. These include decisions regarding housing, employment, mobility, and green spaces. For this reason, a preliminary assessment was conducted to determine what (environmental) impacts these decisions might have on the physical living environment. Such an assessment is mandatory and is called an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

The Zoetermeer 2040 Environmental Vision is not only about the physical living environment but also about the city’s socioeconomic strength. That is why the municipality has also examined the social and economic impacts. The results are presented in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Viewthe Environmental Impact Report (EIR).pdf here

How was the environmental vision developed?

For Part I, the Zoetermeer 2040 Vision, the municipality engaged in extensive discussions with residents, business owners, and organizations in 2018 and 2019 about the city’s future. The discussions focused on questions such as: What is going well? What could be improved? What is missing? And how can we ensure that Zoetermeer remains a great place to live and work? The results of this participatory process were used as input for the Zoetermeer 2040 Vision. More information can be found in the participation reports: Participation—My City, My Future.

For Part II, the Zoetermeer Spatial Strategy, we once again sought dialogue with the city. An important part of this was the Pop-up Expo ONS Zoetermeer—Then, Now, and Soon. Here, residents could learn about the city’s development, share ideas and experiences, and participate in activities such as workshops, discussion evenings, and a Serious Game, in which participants, acting as aldermen, made decisions on topics such as housing, work, and green spaces.

Young people up to age 25 were also involved through questionnaires, workshops, and interviews. In addition, discussions were held with representatives from businesses, civil society organizations, water boards, the energy company, HTM, the healthcare sector, and the education sector. Other parties, such as Stadsmakers and nature conservation organizations, also provided input. The results of this participatory process were used as input for Part II of the Environmental Vision, the Spatial Strategy. More information can be found in the Participation Report for the Spatial Strategy at .

How are we going to implement the environmental vision?

We are working to implement the environmental vision, together with residents and partners from the city and the region. We are doing this through projects and policies. A great deal has already been set in motion. Examples include:

How do we track whether we’re actually achieving the goals and plans outlined in the environmental vision?

As a basis for its environmental vision, the municipality commissioned a study on the city’s socioeconomic situation. This study contains a wealth of data on trends in areas such as employment, housing prices, the demographic composition of the population, and much more. The study also shows how the city is performing compared to other municipalities and relative to the national average.

The study, "The State of Zoetermeer," is updated regularly so that we can continuously monitor whether the city is developing as described in the environmental vision.

You can view all reports at:

You can find the most up-to-date information on the website " Zoetermeer in Figures | State of Zoetermeer " at .