Annotated Bibliography: Websites on Dutch Housing - Essay Example

Introduction
The promotion of housing in the Netherlands is highly dependent on the use of the Internet. For the purpose of this study, the researcher will identify four websites prior to summarizing the information available on the website related to housing in the Netherlands.

Summary of Related Websites
VROM International
The website of VROM International – Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment delivers messages to viewers with information related to how people in the Netherlands could maintain the welfare of the society in terms of the need for nature, space, and raw materials or the use of land for a local government project and private housing including areas or building projects that will be designed for business purposes.

Considering that the main goal of VROM is to make policy that will promote peace and harmony with its current social, technological and political developments (VROM International, 2008a), the website offers information related to the most recent issues on Dutch Spatial Planning such as: (1) the 21st-century Dutch housing policies; and (2) the 5th National Policy Document on spatial planning 2000/2020; as well as the English version of the Housing policy document entitled “What People Want, Where People Live” which was published back on April 2001. (VROM International, 2008b)

Waterland – Het Water Informatie Netwerk
Available in Dutch and English language, the website of Waterland provides the viewers with information related to water management. Aside from providing sufficient data related to the importance of water engineerings such as dredging, flood control, coastal zone engineering, engineering in river basins, and offshore civil engineering; the website discusses issues on the new policy concerning the Dutch water management particularly on integrated river basin, urban water management, coastal zone management, and groundwater. (Waterland, 2008a)

Other water-related information that has been discussed in the website under the ‘Water, Environment, and Agriculture includes (1) water productivity and food production; (2) water distribution and quality; (3) ecology of deltas; (4) Alternative water sources; and (5) aquaculture. (Waterland, 2008b) Aside from tackling issues on wastewater and its treatment process (Waterland, 2008c), the website discusses ways on how drinking water and industrial water supply that has been extracted from the groundwater has been purified or has taken away its nitrate and fertilizer contents in order to meet the increasing demand for clean water supply including ways on how
clean water supply is distributed throughout the Netherlands. (Waterland, 2008d)

Comparative Remarks to Researcher’s Previous Report
VROM International
The information and reading materials presented on this website are very useful on the part of architects and engineers who are working in the real estate industry. The website does not only provide information related to the latest information on spatial planning and spatial development such as landscape cluttering as part of the beautification plan for rural, urban, and suburban places in the Netherlands. It also provides the latest information on Land Development Act and Spatial Planning Act which serves as an important guide for individuals who are technically working on projects related to buildings and houses. (VROM International, 2008d)

The website also discusses issues related to some proposed ways on how we could maintain ‘sustainable development in the Netherlands. Even though the website does not directly discuss matters related to the production and maintenance of clean water supply throughout the Netherlands, the VROM International website includes not only ways on how we could protect our environment from the harmful effects of climate changes and excessive acidification caused by water and air pollution but also the proper way of disposing of toxic and hazardous substances and other waste materials so as not to contaminate the land area with substances that can cause adverse effects to the health of the local residents. (VROM International, 2008c)

Waterland – Het Water Informatie Netwerk
In relation to the researcher’s previous work regarding the efficiency of the Netherlands
in maintaining ‘sustainable development’ throughout the country, the Waterland website provides very useful information related to the importance and ways on how we could effectively make water supply and consumption sustainable.

Considering that the website offers information related to the proper water waste treatment including the process behind flood control prevention, people in the Netherlands could benefit the most from strengthening the water management in the country. As an end result, people in the Netherlands could enjoy the benefits of living in a flood-free environment that has a sufficient amount of clean water supply to support the basic needs of the people.

Conclusion
In relation to the government of Netherlands’ effort of actively promoting the importance of maintaining a ‘sustainable development’ throughout the country, the Waterland website clearly highlights important information related to (1) groundwater systems; (2) availability of safe drinking water; and (3) the use of the eco-teams concept.

Both the VROM International and Waterland websites the researcher has gathered for this study provide information related to the promotion of ‘sustainable development in the Netherlands. Between the two websites, the Waterland website provides the most accurate information with regards to sustainable development particularly in water management in the Netherlands as discussed in the researcher’s previous work. Indirectly, the website of VROM International promotes sustainable development particularly on waste disposal and promotion of clean air throughout the country.