The Hague takes control of the environmental quality of the CID with a quality plan

In the Central Innovation District (CID), the municipality of The Hague is actively striving for quality in its large-scale inner-city development. The quality plan drawn up by De Zwarte Hond ensures an integral environmental quality. This is not only about how the area will look in the future, but also how it will function and be sustainable. Based on the typical characteristics of The Hague (3 ‘core qualities’ of The Hague) and the tasks for the future (7 ‘quality tasks’ for the CID), cohesion in the CID becomes the primary qualitative objective.

The quality plan anticipates the forthcoming Environment and Planning Act, which deals with spatial quality in an integrated manner. For example, there will no longer be a separate committee for aesthetics, conservation and public space,. The CID Quality Plan provides the integral quality framework for future developments and ensures both The Hague’s principles for visual and environmental quality and cohesion within the CID. It addresses not only how developments should look, but also how they should function in order to be sustainable. In this way, the quality plan lays the foundation for the detailed elaboration of area-specific policies in the CID.

The CID is the area in The Hague between the three stations: Central, HS and Laan van NOI. As the economic heart of The Hague and the region, the CID has enormous development potential. De Zwarte Hond previously drew up the structural vision for the area, which was then translated into planning terms by Witteveen+Bos. The area will gain 20,000 new homes and 25,000 new jobs. This requires intensive and multiple use of space and public spaces that invite people to meet and interact.

The structural vision gives shape to a rich mix of living, working and other facilities. This not only creates a vibrant and attractive urban lifestyle, but also ensures that different functions can benefit from each other, creating cross-fertilization  and  high-level amenities. The quality plan is a continuation of the CID’s structural vision and outlines the way to achieve this densification. This will create an area of the city that is a pleasant  place to live, work and spend time.