The city of Utrecht has started work on a suburb that will have space for 12,000 residents, three schools, two supermarkets, offices, restaurants and a gym – but no cars.

Merwede, on the south-western edge of the Netherlands’ fourth largest city, will be the largest car-free suburb in the country when building is completed, with the first residents expected to move in in 2027.

The 24-hectare site will have space for 21,500 bike parking spaces, but nowhere for cars to park. Planners say the absence of cars will create more room for allotments and communal spaces and make the area safer and quieter.

“We need to build a lot more homes and space is scarce,” Maakie Snelder, mobility researcher at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) told NOS.

She argued that plans for car-free suburbs often faced stiff resistance when they were first unveiled, but people who moved into them were pleasantly surprised.

“Walking a short distance further isn’t a big problem in many cases,” she said. “And they get a nicer living environment in return: safer, with better air quality and less noise pollution.”

Trams, bikes and lease cars

An extra tram line, the Merwedelijn, is planned to connect the area to the city centre, which is also 10 minutes away by bike.

Residents who cannot live without a car will be able to use one of two purpose-built garages on the fringe of the neighbourhood, though permits are expected to cost around €200 a month.

There will also be 250 cars available on a shared lease basis. Special exceptions will be made for circumstances such as moving house.

Houses will be energy neutral and have a minimum A+, while city heating will be supplied from the water in the Merwedekanaal.