There is an increasing awareness of the influence spatial governance has on both the economy and natural and cultural environments. It is becoming more and more obvious that current formal regulatory systems are unable to respond effectively to the crises of today, and there is a sense of inevitability of change in the globalized world, suggesting ex definitione instability, uncertainty, discontinuity and risk. Therefore, continuing to commission new urban projects in the same manner as we are traditionally accustomed to cannot actually improve the quality of the built environment itself. If we aim for long-term improvements, we must search for and identify adequate governance models. Those might include wider platforms of co-operation, new methods for quality supervision, and other types of initiatives that go beyond formal legislation to respond to pressing issues more laterally and proactively.

The success of various initiatives is critically linked to the local culture that shapes the quality of urban governance and, as a consequence, the quality of the built environment. Therefore, understanding the complexity of the political conditions, legal framework and cultural setting might help to clarify the key challenges and driving forces behind the exemplary initiatives. Improving this design environment has a significant influence on how we perceive and deliver quality. At times, it can even form part of a country’s entire vision. For example, Panorama Nederland¹ draws a future perspective for the spatial planning of all of the Netherlands. In this panorama, the Board of Government Advisers depicts how the major social and environmental issues of today can structure the improvements of the country in the coming decades. 1 https://www.collegevanrijksadviseurs.nl/projecten/panorama-nederland