European cities are responsible for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions and their inhabitants consume around 80 percent of the total energy supply. Sustainable spatial development can contribute significantly to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in cities and villages. It also plays a role in the increasing need to adapt to climate change. The large cities in the Randstad region of the Netherlands have each drawn up their own individual climate policies. In the North of the country, however, regions actually cooperate with each other in this area. This study explores the state of affairs of climate policy in general in the Netherlands, and specifically the policies in the North at provincial, regional and local level. The input for this study is an analysis of actual projects and policies from the three northern provinces, supplemented by findings from interviews with staff at a number of municipalities in the provinces Drenthe and Groningen. We focus on mitigation and adaptation policy linked to spatial planning and we ask what the similarities and differences are in the policies of the various government bodies and if the measures contained in these policies are realistic. In addition, we question whether the initiatives for cooperation between government bodies are actually effective. This study is not a full investigation but a preliminary exploration which leads to recommendations in the planning of climate-proof towns and regions in the Netherlands.
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