In Goede Aarde: eco-housing in Boxtel

The town of Boxtel in the south of the Netherlands is located at the confluence of the Dommel river with a brook called Heerenbeek. The tiny town centre was once surrounded by a wide moat that incorporated old river bends and manmade sections. Around this town several hamlets and villages were located; some even older than Boxtel itself. Two such hamlets were Selissen and Munsel located northeast of the town. Selissen, first mentioned as Zelicel in 1293, is located on the edge of the Dommel valley and comprised of several farms built on slightly higher ground. Munsel is located on the southern board of the same river valley and was first mentioned in 1352. At the origins of both hamlets lie large fiefs. In Munsel two fiefs were to be found: ter Santvoort (Sandford) and Elsbroek (Alderbrook) each with several farmsteads.

From 1972 onwards Munsel became well known in the Netherlands as the location of De Kleine Aarde (literally: The Little Earth), an ecological centre aimed at a more sustainable use of our planet. The centre was founded by Sietze Leeflang with like minded people who had great worries about the plight of the earth and the sustainability of population growth and the exploitation of natural resources. Hence the name of the centre that expresses the conviction that our planet is to small to support a rising population of consumers.

The centre was set up to provide people with "alternatives for the destructive and exploitative use of the natural surroundings by human kind". The aim was so develop new small-scale techniques to relieve the environment through projects on food production, reuse and better use of resources, waste management, domestic energy production and housing. The eco-centre provided courses where participants would for instance learn how to build their own wind turbine or grow their own organic food. The centre also managed bioorganic gardens and allotments, and the produce was used in their own vegetarian kitchen. Mr Leeflang later on also started the project De 12 Ambachten (the 12 trades) aimed at the technical aspects of sustainable living (expressed through a return to hand craft).

From the 1990s the hitherto rural area between Boxtel and Munsel was developed for housing. First the standard housing Estate of Selissen-Munsel was built. This estate stayed clear of the ecological centre and old farms of Munsel. When it became clear that this was only the first phase of the planned urban expansion the local residents and the people involved with the eco-centre De Kleine Aarde joined forces to steer the development towards a more sustainable form of urbanisation. This project would become known as: In Goede Aarde.

The phrase "in goede aarde" has multiple meanings such as "in fertile soil", "on solid ground" and "a good place to feel at home". The new housing estate would be built in several neighbourhoods and small clusters of housing around the eco-centre end the existing farms. The former farm buildings would be given a change of use. The new housing would be sustainable. This involved using more insulation, orienting the houses towards the sun for passive heating, building in reused or reusable materials, integrating solar heating panels and solar panels for the domestic production of electricity. Several ecological ribbons were integrated in the plan as well as a sustainable urban drainage system. The prospective residents were also heavily involved in the way the estate was planted and furnished. There are several clusters of playgrounds, for instance, ranging from the standard swing and seesaw to and adventure playground and a children's forest. Currently the last phase of the estate is under construction. In the meantime the eco-centre closed its doors in 2011 as a result of financial shortages caused by dwindling corporate sponsorship and a lack of revenues. In 2014 the centre was taken over by the knowledge institute Triple E (Ecology Economy Experience).

The town of Boxtel with the old town centre indicated by B surrounded by small scale suburban housing (red) and planned and repetitive housing estates (orange). The new eco-estate of In Goede Aarde is indicated in yellow. This development is centred around the eco-centre De Kleine Aarde (in green).