Editing Almere (section)

==History==
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The original plans for the [[Zuiderzee Works|IJsselmeerpolders]] saw the land being used for agriculture. However, after [[World War II]] housing was needed for the rapidly growing population of [[Amsterdam]] and two towns were planned in the polders Oostelijk Flevoland and Zuidelijk Flevoland. The town in Oostelijk Flevoland became [[Lelystad]]. The town in Zuidelijk Flevoland was still called Zuidweststad (English: South West City) on the first sketches, but in the 1970s it became called ''Almere'', named after the lake [[Almere (lake)|Almere]], the early medieval name of the [[Zuiderzee]]. The first house in Almere was finished in 1976. At that time the town was still controlled by the ''Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders'' (Z.IJ.P.), with a [[Landdrost]]. In 1984 Almere became an official municipality. Originally, Almere was envisioned as a town with multiple centres. This idea was later abandoned in favor of allowing neighbourhoods like Tussen de Vaarten to be built. There is also a difference between the way houses are built in the oldest and the newest parts of the city. The housing plan in Almere in the 1970s was basic functionality and a levelling of social status. However, starting in the 1990s more exclusive homes with striking designs were built (notably in the Regenboogbuurt).