Weighing Opposites with "Enerzijds" and "Anderzijds"
To weigh opposing sides of an argument, use the correlative connectors enerzijds (on the one hand) and anderzijds (on the other hand).
Because these are adverbs, placing them at the start of a clause triggers inversion (the verb comes directly before the subject). Placed later in the sentence, standard word order applies.
| On the one hand the plan is very expensive, on the other hand it is necessary. | Enerzijds is het plan erg duur, anderzijds is het noodzakelijk. |
| The municipality wants to expand the city on the one hand, but protect nature on the other hand. | De gemeente wil enerzijds de stad uitbreiden, maar anderzijds de natuur beschermen. |
The Challenges of Urban Density
City planning often deals with the spatial challenges of a densely populated (dichtbevolkt) country and expanding urban (stedelijk) areas.
| The Netherlands is a very densely populated country. | Nederland is een erg dichtbevolkt land. |
| On the one hand the urban population is growing, on the other hand space is lacking. | Enerzijds groeit de stedelijke bevolking, anderzijds ontbreekt de ruimte. |
Livability and Environment
A key goal of modern city development is improving the daily experience of residents. This means focusing on the livability (de leefbaarheid) of a neighborhood and factors that promote (bevorderen) a healthy environment.
| A lot of traffic is bad for livability. | Veel verkeer is slecht voor de leefbaarheid. |
| More parks promote health and livability. | Meer parken bevorderen de gezondheid en de leefbaarheid. |
Spatial Planning and Construction
Planners must tackle spatial (ruimtelijk) issues to realize (realiseren) new projects. This involves balancing the existing built environment (de bebouwing) with the need to compensate (compenseren) for lost green spaces.
| This is a major spatial problem. | Dit is een groot ruimtelijk probleem. |
| On the one hand there are old buildings, on the other hand we are building modern apartments. | Enerzijds is er oude bebouwing, anderzijds bouwen we moderne flats. |
| If we remove the trees, we must compensate for this somewhere. | Indien we de bomen verwijderen, moeten we dit ergens compenseren. |
