Almere reserves Esplanade land for 1,250 student homes

Almere reserves land at Esplanade for around 1,250 student homes

Almere, Stichting DUWO and Woningstichting GoedeStede have signed an agreement reserving land at Campus Almere Centrum on the Esplanade for about 1,250 student homes, with construction of a first phase of around 600 homes planned for late 2028.

2 October 2026 by Robert Eduard Antal, facts checked automatically against the source · updated 23 October 2026

Key facts

The city, Stichting DUWO and Woningstichting GoedeStede signed an agreement reserving land on the Esplanade for about 1,250 student homes.

Construction of the first phase, with around 600 homes, is planned to start at the end of 2028.

Windesheim University of Applied Sciences has already started building its new building on the site, and a new car park is also planned.

Almere city council, student housing provider Stichting DUWO and housing association Woningstichting GoedeStede have signed a reservation agreement for Campus Almere Centrum on the Esplanade. The agreement reserves land for the construction of around 1,250 student homes. The city presents the project as a way to attract and keep students at a time of housing shortage.

What the agreement covers

The city describes the agreement as an important next step in the development of Campus Almere Centrum. In the coming period, DUWO and GoedeStede will work out the plan for the student homes and discuss it with local residents and stakeholders. Construction of the first phase, with around 600 homes, is planned to start at the end of 2028.

A campus in the city centre

Campus Almere Centrum lies in the heart of the city. Windesheim University of Applied Sciences has already started building its new higher education building on the site, and a new car park is also planned. According to the city, the campus connects students, residents, visitors and businesses, and brings liveliness that increases social safety.

Why the city is doing it

Alderman Paul Tang says the location should help the city attract students and also keep them. He says that, especially in a time of housing scarcity, Almere wants to give students from the city and surrounding large cities the opportunity to live there. He adds that this offers opportunities for local and regional businesses to attract talent. Arjan Deutekom, director of GoedeStede, sees the project as a chance to bind young people to Almere. DUWO chair Anneleen Lagae says the organisation is working to reduce the shortage of student housing. She adds that this cannot succeed by focusing only on locations within the large student cities where DUWO is already active.

Wider housing policy

The campus agreement comes alongside other housing measures in Almere. The city is introducing a vacancy tax for owners of homes that are empty for a year or longer on 1 January 2027. The tax starts in 2027 at €2,000 per year, and the rate will be raised from 2028. The city has established that around 400 homes were empty on 1 January 2026.

The project

Campus Almere Centrum student housingPlanned

The city, student landlord DUWO and housing association GoedeStede reserved land on the Esplanade for about 1,250 student homes next to the new Windesheim university of applied sciences building; construction of a first phase of about 600 homes is planned to start at the end of 2028.

Funding:

Stichting DUWO and Woningstichting GoedeStede, with Gemeente Almere

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