Blueprint? Green works better

ARTICLE

MARKET & CURRENT AFFAIRS

Willemijn van Iersel, Wednesday 5 November 2025

86 sec

A municipality that consciously works without a blueprint — it almost sounds like heresy in the Dutch polder. We Dutch love plans, schedules, specifications, and thick contracts. Especially in green management, where "clean, intact and safe" has long been the holy trinity. Yet in this issue of Stad+Groen, you'll read how Waalwijk, together with green manager Kimberly Kuiper-Hofstede, chooses to loosen the reins. Not everything locked down in advance, but discovering step by step what works. Trial and error as policy.

It feels exciting, sometimes even uncomfortable. But it turns out to be surprisingly effective. After all, nature rarely fits neatly into tables and schedules. What grows naturally, may stay. Grass that stands a little longer provides space for flowers and playing children. And if something doesn't work? Then it's simply weeded out. It's an approach that allows for growth, experimentation, and adjustment.

'The needle on the tendering barometer is permanently set to "stormy weather"'

Collaboration with contractors is key. No endless procedures or contracts down to the last comma, but partnership and dialogue. Instead of mowing ten times a year just because the contract says so, the question becomes: what is the purpose of this lawn? Does the maintenance still fit that goal? That way of working requires trust — and it pays off. That trust is remarkable. From our own tendering barometer (ed.: a series of articles in 2024 about tendering), it previously appeared that contractors and governments are increasingly critical of the current tendering process. The needle on the barometer is permanently set to "stormy weather." It's mostly paperwork, while in fact both parties — contractor and client — want the same thing: to get the job done well. Of course, there's friction: one wants to earn enough money, the other doesn't want to overpay. But that friction doesn't have to be endlessly codified and captured in long procedures. In Waalwijk, they choose a different path: less distrust, more shared results.

'Sometimes letting go of the plan is not a sign of sloppiness, but of craftsmanship'

Of course, there's a risk. Without a plan, you could also end up in a state of vagueness. But that's not the case in Waalwijk. There is monitoring, consultation, and adjustment. There's room to make mistakes — and the willingness to learn from them. Maybe that's the lesson for the entire sector. Sometimes letting go of the plan is not a sign of sloppiness, but of craftsmanship. Because where nature is rarely straight, why should our management be?

This article was originally published on 31 October 2025 on the website of Stad + Groen.

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