What is the societal and economic value of NV Zeedijk? This question was addressed by Thomas de Graaff, Casper Klipp en Hans Koster. NV Zeedijk was founded in the 1980s to revitalize the then-deteriorated Zeedijk area in Amsterdam. By strategically purchasing, renovating, and actively managing properties, the organization – with the Municipality of Amsterdam as its largest shareholder –…

Recent research by Jan Rouwendal, Or Levkovich, Edwin Buitelaar and Jip Claassens, published in Regional Science and Urban Economics, shows that the prices of older commercial buildings increase relative to younger ones. According to the researchers, this is the result of the so-called “vintage effect”: in a growing real estate market, older buildings turn out to…

The economy of the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam (MRA) is currently growing faster than that of the Netherlands, the EU, and other major European cities. The region performs well in terms of employment, education levels, and accessibility, but it is vulnerable due to structural challenges such as an aging population and declining labour productivity growth. Key…

The housing market Is not immune to climate change. When we think about climate change, we often focus on floods and heavy rainfall. But underground, a slower and less visible risk is emerging: land subsidence. Sinking gardens, cracked walls, broken pipes, and damaged foundations occur gradually, but they can suddenly lead to major financial consequences…

The master’s programme in Spatial, Transport, and Environmental Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has been named the best economics master’s programme in the Netherlands for 2025, according to the latest results of the National Student Survey (in Dutch abbreviated as NSE*). The programme ranks highest in nearly all evaluated categories, outshining other economics master’s programmes.…

In a society in which equality of opportunity is increasingly high on the agenda, it is striking how little attention is paid to the physical places that promote social mobility. Libraries are disappearing, youth centres are closing and schools are merging, forcing people to travel further and further to make use of essential services. According…

For the transition to a green economy, it is essential not only to put a price on CO₂ emissions but also for governments to address market distortions, such as policy uncertainty that hinders investments in the energy transition. This is evident from research conducted by Sacha den Nijs, who worked as a guest researcher at…

Dutch households are generally satisfied with their homes. Recent research shows that, on average, residents give their homes a solid pass grade. Nevertheless, many people face difficulties in realizing their housing preferences, particularly due to long waiting lists for social housing and the high costs in the private rental and owner-occupied housing markets. The study,…

When you look out the window, you can see problems—and potential solutions—that await innovative approaches to benefit both society and the environment. This belief drove the organization of the 5th Annual Intensive Course Programme in Urban, Transport, and Environmental Economics, which celebrates the power of sustained enthusiasm and collaborative effort to create a better world…

On Wednesday, March 19, the Housing Lab was launched during the symposium “Investeren in Volkhuisvesting” (Dutch spoken), organized by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (Centraal Planbureau). The Housing Lab is an initiative by Vrije Universiteit researchers Hans Koster and Jan Rouwendal. Bundling Research Hans Koster, Professor of Urban Economics and Real Estate at…