The First European Housing Project for Older Turkish Migrants in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and Its Lasting Legacies (1993–2008)

This article examines the first housing initiative for older Turkish migrants in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and its residential, policy-related and institutional legacies between 1993 and 2008. Emerging during the transition from temporary labour migration to permanent settlement, the initiative addressed growing concerns about migrant ageing, housing and welfare in Western Europe. Employing a qualitative historical case-study approach, the research draws on original archival correspondence, contemporary housing studies, governmental and architectural records, newspaper reports and supplementary historical testimony. The analysis focuses on three interconnected dimensions: long-term housing outcomes, changing policy perspectives on migrant ageing and the emergence of representative organisations. The findings document cooperation among European, national, provincial and municipal institutions, the presentation of the “Bizim Ev” research to Minister Hedy d’Ancona in 1993 and the development of differentiated housing programmes. Although the proposed residential complex at Prof. Boumanstraat was never constructed, its underlying housing objectives were subsequently reflected in a DP6-designed development completed in 2008. The initiative also helped bring the circumstances of ageing migrants into Dutch housing and welfare discussions, while its organisational experience contributed to the establishment of the Turkish-Islamic Elderly Union (TISBO) in 1993 and the Netherlands Islamic Elderly Union (NISBO) in 1995.The study illustrates how an early migrant housing initiative generated enduring residential, policy-related and institutional legacies beyond its original implementation period.