Future vision for the Vilsteren estate village

The unique feature of Vilsteren is that the whole village is situated on a private estate. As a result, not only the major challenges such as looking for economic underpinning, sustainability and adaptation to climate change play a role, but also the striving to maintain its village character. How can this be enhanced or at least preserved, now that the village school has closed down? We have drawn up a future vision together with Bettina Bock and students of Wageningen University.

The quality of life in the countryside is at the heart of current debates in the Netherlands, in which a major role is played by the future of agriculture in relation to the nitrogen problem. There are also concerns about the quality and availability of water and the loss of biodiversity. Moreover, there are many social challenges that are connected with cutbacks in services and demographic changes such as ageing and – in a number of regions – a demographic downward trend. The Vilsteren estate village is no exception and asked us for advice. Together with Bettina Bock and students of Wageningen University, we have drawn up a future vision for the estate village of Vilsteren in which the spatial and social aspects are viewed together.

De vision was produced in the course of an intensive process in collaboration with a broad project group of estate, community and local partners such as the local authority and the water board, as well as the involvement of residents of the village and the neighbouring centres. The future vision is not just about the target, but also about the way to attain it. On the basis of the discussions and explorations, and based on a vision of space and attractiveness for residents, we drew up four principles. Although at first sight one may seem more spatial or more social than the other, they all contribute to an integral perspective. Especially in the Vilsteren estate, the social and spatial qualities combine to determine its attractiveness both now and in the future. That is particularly clear in the housing. The four principles are: 1. Natural Vilsteren; 2. Estate and village as one; 3. With and for one another; 4. Building for the community and for young and old. We explain all four principles in the vision with references and recommendations on how to achieve them.

The future vision offers an enticing perspective for Vilsteren and contains the tools to work deliberately and effectively together on the preservation of the estate. With its valuable cultural and historical buildings and climate-resistant landscape, the estate affords a home for a lively village with an active and involved  community of young and old. This speck on the horizon is a tightly-knit, caring community that is dedicated to preserving its social cohesion, sustainability and the development of robust nature and a beautiful landscape.