Urban Village

The housing task

The question is whether the solutions of the past are still suitable for the future. Jan van Gils, Architect Research & Development at VanWonen, researches social developments and their consequences for housing and living environments. He sees a growing need for new forms of co-living.


With Urban Village we show what 'low-rise in several ground levels' can look like. In fact, a reinterpretation of the traditional single-family home on land-based allotment, but in higher densities. The typical Dutch ideal: a house with a garden, but in the middle of the city. With a wide variety of housing types, something for everyone.

Jan van Gils, Architect Research & Development at VanWonen: “The Urban Village concept consists of stacked villages in urban density. This makes it possible to realize large numbers of new low-rise homes in the middle of the city. Of course in a green, diverse and future-proof environment.”

Urban Village consists of an accumulation of the traditional Dutch housing and allotment type: the ground-level single-family home with its own front door on the street, but then stacked in several ground levels. It is a combination of urban and suburban or village developments, as we have known them for years in the Netherlands. In this way we can combine a high urban density of two hundred homes per hectare with a village character. The front door at ground level, a private garden and a human dimension – they all come back at every ground level. By stacking 'villages', we create intense low-rise buildings in an Urban Village.

Collective gardens
The different ground levels are connected via a network of collective places. The Tiny Forest is the social heart of the neighbourhood, where everyone meets each other. Around these collective gardens there are different types of homes with their front doors on the street: single-family homes, multi-family homes, life-resistant homes, Skinny Houses, living and working combined.

In addition to housing, there will also be other functions, such as working, retail and (social) facilities. This program mix combines the city with the atmosphere of a village. Mixed neighborhoods are interspersed with smaller and larger shared public spaces. At the actual street level, but also at ground level at height. This creates a layered wandering environment, with a coarse and fine-meshed fabric, where spontaneous encounters arise. The walking routes go from high to low or vice versa, and run through or around the social heart.

Urban with a village character
Residents can park their car in a Mobility House with important urban functions in the plinth and on the various roofs. This makes the density more urban, without compromising the qualities of the ground-level homes. This variation in size and scale makes the Urban Village a diverse urban ensemble while retaining the village atmosphere.

This concept was developed in collaboration with Koschuch Architects.


View and download the book 'Stacking with collectives' digitally?

The question is whether the solutions of the past still fit in the future. Jan van Gils, Architect Research & Development at VanWonen, investigates social developments and their consequences for residential and living environments. He sees the need for new collective forms of housing and living.

Jan van Gils: “I developed new concepts together with creative experts in our network. Concepts that are in line with changing housing needs, forms of living, urban conditions and that contribute to important social challenges at the moment.

The developed solutions are bundled in the VanWonen publication 'Stacking with collectives'. You can download this for free via the button below.