We are excited to announce that one of the speakers of the morning program is Rachel van Houwelingen!

Rachel van Houwelingen is Head of the Department of Area Development and Financing within the Directorate of Housing Policy at the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning. From this role, she works on the important task of realizing sufficient and affordable housing.

Affordable and suitable housing is no longer a given for many people in the Netherlands, and this housing shortage affects all generations. Since 2022, the Netherlands once again has a Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning, who, together with all partners and other levels of government, aims to tackle the housing shortage. Key actions to achieve this include building more homes, realizing affordable housing, and reducing barriers to construction.

From the ministry, in cooperation with partners and other levels of government, efforts are focused on reducing the housing shortage by concluding housing deals, financially supporting housing construction projects, and reducing rules and barriers. In addition, there is a focus on acceleration and stronger central direction. At the same time, there are challenges that affect housing construction, such as financial shortfalls, investment capacity, and lengthy procedures.

Rachel will take you through the developments and the vision of the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning (VRO), as well as recent policy developments relating to housing construction