\History \history In the early 1980s, the board of the Stichting Architectuur Museum (SAM) discussed organizing an exhibition on the future design of the Netherlands. In 1982 a working group was formed within the SAM, which in November 1983 presented a proposal entitled "The Netherlands Now as a Design, the Rules of Growth." This proposal was adopted by the SAM board in December 1983. Subsequently, the working group, together with the Association of Dutch Urban Designers (BNS), made contact with, among others, the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR), the Director General for Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Health, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM), and workers' and employers' organizations in the construction industry. Thanks to a start-up grant from the Training and Development Fund for the Construction Industry, the Nederland Nu Als Ontwerp (NNAO) foundation could be established on December 19, 1984. The foundation, which was established for the duration of five years, was given the statutory objective of "organizing a future-oriented exhibition on the spatial planning of the Netherlands." Gradually, however, it became clear that in addition to the designing and building community, institutional investors and education should also be involved in thinking about the future layout of the Netherlands. Thus, in addition to organizing the exhibition Nieuw Nederland, two more projects arose, namely the development of a computer game called Momentum for education and the writing of a financial analysis for the 1990s, Nieuw Nederland. Proof of an Investment Strategy. The exhibition New Netherlands The foundation began its activities by creating an image of the future, or rather, four future images of the layout of the Netherlands in the year 2050. First, four different scenarios were written, three of which were in fact adaptations of future scenarios already developed by the WRR. These three scenarios, of denominational, liberal and socialist character in turn, were supplemented by a fourth scenario prepared by the Social Geographical Institute of the University of Amsterdam. Each scenario conjured up a picture of life in the year 2050, based on a particular, distinct, "lifestyle. The four scenarios were renamed Careful, Dynamic, Critical and Relaxed, respectively. Four design teams were then commissioned to develop one of these four scenarios into a design of the Netherlands in the year 2050. The resulting visions of the future were then tested through two parallel approaches. On the one hand, the four scenarios were assessed for consistency and coherence using additions in the areas of energy supply, waste management, water management, developments in the rural area (agriculture and nature), developments in the urban area (working and living) and traffic and transport. On the other hand, each of the four designs was developed for a region that was considered typical for the scenario in question. The Eastern North Brabant region was chosen for the Care scenario, the North Sea Canal area for the Dynamic scenario, East Groningen for the Critical scenario and the sea strip between Katwijk and Domburg for the Relaxed scenario. Finally, seven themes were developed within each regional design. These were successively metropolitan facilities, agricultural areas, wetlands, infrastructure, energy supply, waste management and housing. A so-called fragment was designed for each theme. The result of all these design activities, in the form of drawings, models and sound images, formed the basis of the exhibition "New Netherlands, subject of design". This exhibition opened at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam on September 17, 1987. Later the exhibition, albeit in a modified form, was also shown at the Bouwcentrum in Rotterdam. Momentum The computer game Momentum was intended to give the player the opportunity to design his own Netherlands. The idea of the game was that the player, given a number of preconditions, could influence the development of spatial planning himself. The player chose one of four scenarios, determined an average population growth and chose a specific urbanization pattern. The program then worked out the development until 2050; the player had the option to intervene after each 12.5-year phase. A prototype of the game ran at the New Netherlands exhibition. After the exhibition, another push was made to develop an educational version, but the program was never completed. The preliminary version of the program was transferred to the Technical University in Delft. Investing in the Netherlands An initial consultation with a number of major institutional investors took place in 1986 to involve them in the financial analysis. A study meeting was held in November 1987, resulting in a project description of an investment strategy to be developed. The analysis focused on improving spatial quality, taking the Fourth Memorandum on Spatial Planning as its starting point. It sought to answer four questions, i.e. the question of the desired level of investment, the perspective of continuity offered by the proposed spatial policy, the division of tasks between public and private investors and, finally, the improvement of the coordination between public and private investments. After a period of thorough preparations in cooperation with a Land Development Reference Group, created for the occasion, the go-ahead for the project was given at the end of September 1988. A number of research institutions were commissioned to carry out the various parts of the study. After mutual coordination of the results, the analysis was published in April 1989 under the title Nieuw Nederland. Proof of an Investment Strategy. Now Nijmegen and Arnhem Design After the conclusion of the New Netherlands exhibition, the board sought an opportunity to continue the activities of the foundation. After considering a number of options, it was decided to investigate the future of the Arnhem and Nijmegen region. This region had recently been designated as an urban hub in the Fourth Policy Document on Spatial Planning. In fact, the same approach was followed as before, albeit that designs on a regional scale were obviously missing. Based on the regional plan Middle Gelderland and the report Middle Gelderland, worth working on, the Social Geographical Institute of the University of Amsterdam again developed four scenarios. The design activities took place in a compressed period, namely from April 11 to 15, 1988, the so-called Sketch Week. The results were subsequently exhibited at the Museum Kröller-Müller, where this Sketch Week had also taken place. Dissolution The dissolution of the foundation was statutory five years after its establishment. With a large meeting in the Beurs van Berlage, on December 14, 1989, to which all those involved were invited, NNAO concluded its activities. Shortly before the statutory dissolution of the Netherlands Now as Design Foundation (NNAO), the foundation's archive and the designs it had acquired were transferred to the Van Eesteren - Fluck & Van Lohuizen Foundation (EFL Foundation). This foundation managed NNAO's "estate" for a number of years, after which the archive was transferred to the NAI on perpetual loan on June 2, 1998.