Kerckebosch, Zeist

In Kerckebosch a neighborhood is being built in which it is extremely pleasant to live, where contact with nature is intense and where the strengthening of biodiversity is at the top of the agenda. To this end, a plan has been developed in which the existing uniform high-rise is being replaced step by step by a varied supply of homes and in which living and nature are optimally involved. The attention to design and implementation not only leads to an increase in the value of the property, but also to a more robust nature and social involvement.

Kerckebosch is often described as a neighborhood that evokes a "holiday feeling". Living there feels exceptional, due to the intensive contact with nature. Whoever steps out his front door is standing in the woods or on the heath. The living environment is shared with owls, sand lizards and roe deer, species that were not here before.

Kerckebosch is also a neighborhood with great social cohesion. Many of the original residents have returned to the neighborhood. Many were involved in planning and are now responsible for residents' initiatives, including a vegetable garden and a freerun course. With the Binnenbos, the neighborhood has a well-equipped social meeting place. In addition, all residents receive a free membership of the Utrecht Landscape, which further increases their involvement.

A positive development is also that the old, uniform housing construction has been replaced by a much more varied housing supply, in all price ranges, with a greater diversity in population as a result.

The energy for street lighting is generated by solar panels on the roofs of the school buildings in the neighborhood. The energy square at these schools has an educational function and allows students to generate their own energy in a sustainable manner (sustainability is what we do together in Kerckebosch).

Indications for Kerckebosch's valuable innovation approach are the various publications about the neighborhood - including in the European yearbook for landscape architecture Landscape Architecture Europe (2018) - and the prizes it has won so far. Kerckebosch received the Falco Award for Best Public Space in the Netherlands in 2016, and in 2019 Kerckebosch was declared the most nature-inclusive area development for the National Debate on Nature Inclusive Building.