Almere is a planned city located in the Flevoland province of the Netherlands, situated across the IJmeer from Amsterdam. This municipality includes districts such as Almere Stad, Almere Buiten, Almere Pampus, and boroughs like Almere Haven, Almere Hout, and Almere Poort. Additionally, it features the unofficial district Oostvaardersdiep and is a part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.
Interestingly, Almere is the Netherlands’ newest city. The land it occupies, the Southern Flevoland polder, was reclaimed from the IJsselmeer between 1959 and 1968. The city’s first house was constructed in 1976, and it gained municipal status in 1984. By 2021, it boasted a population of 214,715, making it the most populous municipality in Flevoland and the 8th largest nationwide. Plans have been made to expand its population to 350,000 by 2030.
Historically, the initial plans for the IJsselmeerpolders were agricultural. But post-World War II, housing demands for Amsterdam’s expanding population led to town planning in the polders. The town in Oostelijk Flevoland became Lelystad, while the town in Zuidelijk Flevoland, initially termed Zuidweststad, was later named Almere after the medieval name for the Zuiderzee. Almere’s initial design was based on multiple centers, but this was later changed, leading to neighborhoods like Tussen de Vaarten. There has also been a noticeable evolution in housing design in Almere, from basic functionality in the 1970s to more distinctive designs from the 1990s onwards.