Tue, 13 Jan 2026

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 Crossing Continents

The Netherlands is experiencing a housing crisis. Could ten new cities be the answer?
Squatting was made illegal over a decade ago, but with 90,000 vacant homes, it's back on the rise. Additionally, many are living year-round in holiday or recreation parks deep in the countryside. To combat the issue, Amsterdam is cracking down on second homes and owners who leave properties empty. Last year, rent controls were strengthened to cool the overheated market and limit tenant exploitation. However, this has led landlords to put their properties up for sale instead of renting them out. A new challenge has also emerged in the form of a lack of electricity infrastructure, making it difficult to build thousands of new homes as promised by the winning party in the recent general election.
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