Utrecht takes new steps towards a healthy living environment with new Public Space Handbook

01-28-2026

The Public Space Handbook (HOR) provides guidelines for the use and design of public spaces in the city. These guidelines apply to the shaping of streets, squares and greenery. The HOR covers material use, tree planting and ambitions for more greenery. In the new HOR, the reuse of materials is even more firmly embedded.  

Alderman Susanne Schilderman (Circular Economy and Public Space): “We are working towards a fully circular city, where reuse is the norm and nothing is thrown away. At the same time, we make the city greener and healthier for people, animals and plants. This saves raw materials and energy, and ensures fresh air, water storage and space for nature. In short, with this new handbook we continue to build an attractive city where everyone likes to be outside.” 

The handbook elaborates all plans for public spaces and is intended for everyone involved in changes to those spaces: from neighborhood initiative submitters to project leaders and executors, for example in fiber optic installation. It contains practical tools, including decision trees. These help with choices, such as designing parking spaces with semi-permeable paving where grass and herbs can grow, or weighing whether to reuse certain materials. 

Green, sustainable public space 

Circularity and reuse receive much attention in the new Public Space Handbook. Before starting projects in public spaces, it is first assessed whether existing materials can be reused. This is done through the so-called Material Scan. Where materials such as paving stones, light poles and street furniture were often removed and replaced with new ones before, they now get a second life thanks to the Material Scan. For example, old sidewalk tiles are no longer discarded during redesigns but stored at the new raw materials depot Trechterweide, cleaned and reused in other projects. This saves the municipality raw materials, energy and CO₂ emissions. From this year, a digital marketplace will be added, where for each project available used materials are first considered before new materials are purchased. 

Green, biodiverse and accessible 

Replacing paving with greenery, together with residents and entrepreneurs, is made easier with tools such as the ‘Standard details for greening parking spaces’. For planting new trees in streets and squares, handy distance tables and growth site drawings have been added. These ensure good integration and healthy growth of trees in an increasingly dense city. The ‘Planting steel cards’ improve the attractiveness, biodiversity and management of greenery. Creating new greenery goes hand in hand with measures to cope with climate change. 

^{A green parking lot}

A decision tree in the HOR for the layout of roads and streets helps realize the ten-minute city. This tool reasons from the pedestrian and cyclist perspective, followed by other forms of mobility. Additionally, the handbook contains a guide for shared mobility, so destinations remain accessible with fewer cars on the street. The theme ‘Inclusive public space’ has been added to ensure everyone feels welcome. Finally, a guide for opening private outdoor spaces to the public offers extra space for residents and visitors to move around. 

The new Public Space Handbook can be found here: Public Space Handbook | municipality of Utrecht