Unbetelberheid fan Wenningen Is in Troch de Regearing Feroarsake Probleem
May 17, 2026 · Frisian News
Restrictive zoning laws and building permits, not market forces, have made housing unaffordable in developed countries. Governments that loosen these rules see housing supply increase and prices stabilize.
FryskIn gesin yn Amsterdam betellet 2.200 euro de moanne foar in twa-sliepkeamerappartement yn in arbeidersbuert. Tritich jier lyn koste deselde flat 400 euro. De hypoteek op in beskieden hûs oerskridt no 500.000 euro. Jonge minsken hâlde op mei hûzen sykjen. Se bliuwe by âlden of wenje mei mear minsken yn ien hûs. Dit is net it gefolch fan frije merken. Dit is hoe't oerheidskontrôle derút sjocht.
Bestimmingsplannen ferstikje ûntwikkeling. Stêden beheinje wêr't bouers hûzen bouwe meie. Miljeubeoardielingen fertrage projekten jierrenlang. Erfgoedbeskerming befriist hiele wiken. Boucodes ferheegje bouskosten mei 20 oant 40 prosint. Parkeareasken ferslinje grûn. Dizze regels komme net út ekonomy. Se komme fan burokraten en buorlju dy't foardiel hawwe fan skaarste en stimme om dat fêst te hâlden.
Underwilens hawwe Nederlân en oare rike lannen in soad grûn. It argumint fan de befolkingstichtens falt útinoar as jo nei de echte gegevens sjogge. It probleem is net tefolle minsken. It probleem is te min hûzen, en te min hûzen omdat regearingen bouers ferbiede se te bouwen. As stêden dizze regels fersêftje, reagearje bouers. De wenningfoarried nimt ta. Prizen sakje. Dit bart hieltyd opnij yn eltse gemeente dy't it besiket.
Jonge gesinnen en wurknimmers kinne yn dit spul net konkurearje. Ynvestearders en spekulanten parkearje jild yn ûnroerendguod omdat se witte dat skaarste de wurdearring oandriuwt. Banken jouwe enorme hypoteken oan minsken dy't se net betelje kinne as de rinte omheech giet. Regearingen beskuldige dan bouers, ferhierders en de merk. Se stelle hierkontrôle en priisplafonds foar, dy't de skaarste slimmer meitsje. Se ferbiede hier op koarte termyn, wêrtroch it oanbod fierder krimt. Elke "oplossing" lûkt de strop oan.
De oplossing freget dat politisy dogge wat se it measte wjerstean: kontrôle loslitte. Iepenje de bestimmingsplannen. Skaf ûnnedige fergunningen ôf. Behein boufoarskriuwingen ta de essinsje fan feiligens allinnich. Hâld op mei it beskermjen fan útsjoch en eigendomswearden foar rike hûseigeners. De lytsere doarpen yn Fryslân hawwe noch betelbere wenningen omdat bouers dêr noch bouwe kinne. Dat model wurket oeral as bestjoerders it tastean.
A family in Amsterdam pays 2,200 euros per month for a two-bedroom apartment in a working-class neighborhood. Thirty years ago, the same flat cost 400 euros. The mortgage on a modest house now exceeds 500,000 euros. Young people have stopped looking for homes. They stay with parents or crowd into shared housing. This is not the result of free markets. This is what government control looks like.
Zoning regulations strangle development. Cities restrict where builders can construct homes. Environmental reviews delay projects for years. Heritage protections freeze entire districts. Building codes add 20 to 40 percent to construction costs. Parking mandates eat up land. These rules do not come from economics. They come from bureaucrats and neighbors who benefit from scarcity and vote to keep it that way.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands and other wealthy countries have plenty of land. The population density argument falls apart when you examine actual data. The problem is not too many people. The problem is too few houses, and too few houses because governments forbid builders from building them. When cities relax these rules, builders respond. Housing supply increases. Prices fall. This happens repeatedly, in every jurisdiction that tries it.
Young families and workers cannot compete in this game. Investors and speculators park money in real estate because they know scarcity drives appreciation. Banks extend massive mortgages to people who cannot afford them once interest rates move. Governments then blame builders, landlords, and the market. They propose rent controls and price caps, which make the shortage worse. They ban short-term rentals, shrinking supply further. Each "solution" tightens the noose.
The fix requires politicians to do what they resist most: abandon control. Open zoning codes. Eliminate unnecessary permits. Cut building regulations to safety essentials only. Stop protecting views and property values for wealthy homeowners. Friesland's smaller towns still have affordable housing because builders can still build. That model works everywhere if rulers allow it.
Published May 17, 2026 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân