This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matthijs van der Ham, 44, an architect and woodworker. For seven years, he and his 13-year-old son have lived in Minitopia,’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. This piece has been edited for length and clarity.
Seven years ago, when our landlord told me the apartment on a farm where I lived with my seven-year-old son was coming off the rental market, I needed to find somewhere else to live.
Around the same time, a tiny house became available at a Minitopia village in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the first of several in the region. I was already familiar with this particular village because, earlier that year, I’d helped a friend build a home there.
The Minitopia Foundation held a lottery for the rental and hundreds of people applied. With a bit of luck, I won. Within three weeks of losing our apartment, I had the keys to our tiny house in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Living in a tiny-home village has been liberating
When I first moved here in 2019, it was common for tour groups to walk through the site and for drones to fly overhead to film life here. That’s less common now. There are many more projects like this around the world, and tiny homes are becoming increasingly normal.
Back then, the site was mostly concrete. Over the course of my time here, however, it has become much greener. Every year, I plant trees along the street and invite the neighbors to join. They often do. On a typical street, the local government would probably remove trees like that or make you go through a long approval process. Here, if I want to plant trees, I can.
In my spare time, I like to create art from wood. On a normal residential street, if someone saw a man walking around with an ax, they might call the police. Here, people ask what I’m making and tell me how nice my art is.
In a place like Minitopia, the entire street feels like your living space, unlike in normal neighborhoods where everything is clearly defined: fenced gardens, parking spaces, a road, a pavement.
Here, there are no fences and no strict boundaries. It’s much more fluid. When you live in a space that is less rigid, it becomes easier to think that way, too. Living like this has been liberating, and I feel freer than I used to.
Minitopia is a fantastic community for raising children
I’ve always been happy here, especially when it comes to raising my son. It’s a great place for kids to grow up. It feels safe, and there aren’t many cars passing through.
My son is always strolling around outside before returning at a set time. It’s really nice that children have the opportunity to explore here. That’s one of the main reasons I’ve stayed.
Another reason is that the people are really great. A few years ago, I threw a party for my son’s birthday. At first, I only invited his classmates. Then we ended up inviting their families and everyone at Minitopia. There are more than two dozen homes here.
It turned into a small festival. We had a food truck, music, and neighbors lending chairs and helping out. In a normal neighborhood, we’d have received noise complaints, but at Minitopia, everyone just wants to have fun.
We do a lot together as a community, which is special. Every Tuesday, we have a get-together where we make art, eat, and talk. On New Year’s Eve, we had a big party.
You can keep to yourself if you like, but I love that there are so many opportunities to do fun things together.
I’ve never been tempted to move
Though I rent this house, it feels like my home. I handle most of the maintenance, and I’m free to change it as I see fit. For example, I’ve made some improvements, such as adding a roof over the porch.
While my dream is to one day live on a piece of land with better soil so I can garden more, at this point in my life, living in a tiny home village works well for us.
In my seven years here, I’ve never once been tempted to leave.
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