Utrecht for everyone again

Utrecht is a beautiful city with an historic city centre, many wonderful neighbourhoods, and most facilities and services close to home. However, if you look closely, you’ll find that not everyone can keep up. Finding an affordable home has become impossible, there are large health inequities, and more and more Utrechters are having trouble paying their energy bill.

This must change. And it can be changed. We have the plans and measures to achieve that, which we want to carry out in collaboration with all Utrechters. Because only together we can make Utrecht a city for everyone again.

Decent work and equal opportunities

The PvdA is committed to decent work, a decent standard of living and equal opportunities for all Utrechters. By combating poverty and unemployment, we will make sure that every Utrechter is able to pay their groceries and bills with their monthly salary. We will also fight for equal opportunities for all children. Utrecht should be a city where children can have a safe, happy, and healthy childhood. Unfortunately, this is not self-evident for every child in Utrecht. We want to change this, because every child deserves a fair future.

A selection of our plans for a strong and fair Utrecht:

  • There will be enough jobs for theoretically and practically educated Utrechters. We will create jobs for Utrechters that have trouble getting to work.
  • Anti-poverty programmes are expanded and private debts are tackled.
  • The municipality sets an example by offering permanent contracts and a minimum hourly wage of at least 14 euro to all employees, and enforces this in public tenders.
  • Invest unequally to achieve equal opportunities. Children in vulnerable positions should receive extra care and support at school. All children should be able to participate in sports and to get in touch with arts and culture. We tackle the teacher shortage.
  • We combat learning deficits starting from the youngest age possible. From birth, children receive a promising (linguistic) start and go to pre-school from the age of 2 if necessary.
  • Utrecht starts a broad programme against low literacy. This way we make sure that the linguistic skills of all Utrechters improve.
  • School segregation is combated. We want children of all backgrounds to meet each other.

Affordable living in liveable neighbourhoods

The PvdA wants everyone to have a good and affordable home in a liveable and safe neighbourhood. We are in a housing crisis and we cannot afford to look away. The municipality must act now to make our city affordable again. We will also commit to liveable and safe neighbourhoods. Everyone should feel safe and comfortable, both in the street and back home.

A selection of our plans for an affordable, safe and liveable Utrecht:

  • We will create more affordable housing, both in existing urban areas and in new locations like Rijnenburg.
  • We will make binding agreements concerning housing affordability: 40% social housing, 40% middle-class housing and 20% unregulated housing. 
  • The municipality will pursue an active land policy and real estate policy. This means that the municipality will own more land and real estate, in order to get more control over asking price and quality.
  • We opt for mixed neighbourhoods in which people of all backgrounds meet each other.
  • Public transport and cycling facilities receive a boost, and we will promote sustainable transportation. Utrecht should be reachable and accessible to everyone.
  • We will invest extra in neighbourhoods that tend to experience more unrest and feelings of unsafety, where we will focus on prevention. But we will also try to create a safe home environment in those instances where this is not the case right now.

A sustainable, healthy, and diverse city

The PvdA wants to invest in a sustainable and healthy city, where there is room for sports, culture, and each other. We want a city with lower carbon emissions and a healthy living environment. However, for many Utrechters making the change to sustainable solutions is currently very expensive. That’s why we’ll make sure that everyone can join in the transition to a sustainable city. Next to a healthy living environment, we will also have an eye for the (physical and mental) health of Utrechters. We want a city in which everyone can be who they want and where there is no place for discrimination. We do that together.

A selection of our plans for a sustainable, healthy and inclusive Utrecht:

  • Newly-built housing must be carbon-neutral.
  • We will transition to sustainable energy, but in such a way that it is affordable for everyone. Home insulation, rooftop solar panels and the use of sustainable electricity have priority. Low-income Utrechters will receive additional support.
  • Energy poverty must be countered by helping citizens with draughty homes to make their home more sustainable, thereby reducing their energy bill.
  • As an institution, the municipality will set the right example by becoming climate-neutral in 2030.
  • We will combat the large health inequities in the city, especially among vulnerable groups. Paying attention to prevention is highly important in this regard.
  • Healthcare will become easily accessible again, with shorter waiting times for everyone.
  • We will invest in healthcare workers. They deserve more appreciation and support.
  • Together, we work to achieve an inclusive city in which everyone is treated equally and where there is no place for discrimination and racism.

Download our plans in pdf.

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