Editing Zoetermeer (section)

==Neighbourhoods<ref>{{cite web | url=https://zoetermeer.incijfers.nl/jive/report?openinputs=true&id=wijkprofiel | title=Wijken in Zoetermeer | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>==
Zoetermeer is divided into 6 neighbourhoods (wijken),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zoetermeer.nl/wijken | title=Wijken in Zoetermeer | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref> which cover most of the municipality's territory, with the remainder being the commercial area in the east and the mostly green and undeveloped ''Buitengebied'' in the west. Every neighbourhood has at least one (smaller) shopping mall and (except for Noordhove) a tram stop. Each neighbourhood consists of one or more ''wijken'', each of which has a separate postcode with differing last two digits following "27", from within Zoetermeer's 2710-2729 assigned postcodes (2700, 2701 and 2702 are used for [[post-office box]]es and the rest are not used {{As of|2012|lc=y}})

These neighbourhoods have the following names (in brackets the year the neighbourhood was designated, although some of the neighbourhood already existed before designation):
[[File:Zoetermeer 20050928 40361.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Aerial view of Zoetermeer.]]

=== Meerzicht (1969) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zoetermeer.nl/meerzicht | title=Meerzicht | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>===
Literally meaning "lake view", Meerzicht is divided by the RandstadRail light rail tracks into Meerzicht-Oost (postcode 2715), with taller block of flats, and Meerzicht-West (postcode 2716) with low-rise residential development. Further to the west is the water-rich, 280-hectare urban park and recreation area Westerpark.

=== Buytenwegh de Leyens (1974) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zoetermeer.nl/buytenwegh-de-leyens | title=Buytenweg De Leyens | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>===
The development of this area marked the shift to the development of single-family homes with private gardens more popular with Dutch families of that and coming decades, and encompasses the much older settlements of Buytenwegh (postcode 2717) and De Leyens (postcode 2725), and an area called "Buytenwegh de Leyens" per se (postcode 2726).

=== Centrum (1978) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zoetermeer.nl/centrum | title=Centrum | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>===
The construction of a new centre of Zoetermeer actually started only in 1981, to serve as a shopping and administrative heart of the city. It followed modern [[urban planning]] principles, placing parking garages, some storage facilities and a RandstadRail station on the ground level, which is covered by pedestrian- and bicycle-only area with shops on the lower floors and apartments above them, to ensure the centre does not die out outside of the business hours.

The centre was completed in phases, the last one being the  Cadenza residential development in 2017. The Stadscentrum has two RandstadRail stations. The Centrum-West station is the terminus of RandstadRail line 3 and is the locations of Zoetermeer's busiest  [[bus station]]. The Stadscentrum includes the modern town hall of Zoetermeer and the local police station. A small lake called ''Grote Dobbe'' is placed directly in between Stadscentrum and Dorp, with the promenades and bicycle paths along the lake connecting the old and the new centres of Zoetermeer.  The postcode for Stadscentrum is 2711.

=== Noordhove & Seghwaert (1986) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zoetermeer.nl/noordhove-seghwaert | title=Noordhoeve & Seghwaert | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>===
Noordhove (postcode 2728) is located between Seghwaert to the south and the artificial lake known as 'Zoetermeerse Plas' to the north. Unlike the other ''wijken'', it has no dedicated RandstadRail station, as both RandstadRail track branches run to the south of it.

=== Rokkeveen (1987) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zoetermeer.nl/rokkeveen | title=Rokkeveen | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>===
Rokkeveen is separated from the other ''wijken'' by the A12 motorway and the Den Haag-Gouda railway line. As such, it enjoys direct access to Zoetermeer's railway stations and features numerous crossings under or over both transport corridors to allow access to the rest of Zoetermeer. Rokkeveen is further divided into Rokkeveen-Oost and Rokkeveen-West. A significant turning point in the development of this part of town was the [[Floriade 1992]], which took place there.

Rokkeveen-Oost (postcode 2718) extends between the railway stations Zoetermeer-Oost and Zoetermeer. The ''Mandelabrug'' ([[Nelson Mandela]] bridge) was built over the latter for the Floriade (replacing an earlier smaller bridge, deemed insufficient for the increased traffic) as a covered bicycle and pedestrian passage over the railway, motorway and the RandstadRail, which adjoins it at this point from the North. The ''Mandelabrug'' connects the train station, the Randstadrail station Driemanspolder and the ''wijken'' of Rokkeveen-Oost and Driemanspolder. Next to the Mandelabrug runs a road crossing - a bridge between Afrikaweg on the northern side and Zuidweg in Rokkeveen.

The other crossing are the road, pedestrian and bicycle tunnels between Tweede and Eerste Stationsstraat next to Zoetermeer-Oost train station, connecting Rokkeveen-Oost with Dorp. The historic [[water tower]] ''De Tien Gemeenten'' is also now located in Rokkeveen-Oost.

Rokkeveen-West (postcode 2719) mainly encompasses newer development on the grounds of the former Floriade-park, which includes both residential and office buildings.

=== Oosterheem (1999) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zoetermeer.nl/oosterheem | title=Oosterheem | publisher=Gemeente Zoetermeer | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>===
Oosterheem is the newest district of Zoetermeer, a [[Vinex-location]] and the source of Zoetermeer's most recent and continuing growth, which allowed it to become the third most populous municipality in South Holland. The districts development was not without problematic issues and delays, stemming first from the concerns over the environmental impacts of such development, and later from the planning and construction of [[HSL-Zuid]], which now forms the district's and municipality's eastern border. An enduring concern is an old pipeline, now used for the transportation of pressurized CO<sub>2</sub>, which runs through Oosterheem.

Oosterheem is served by three stations on RandstadRail line 4, whose tracks branch out from the original RandstadRail loop in Seghwaert. It is further divided into Oosterheem-Oost (postcode 2721) and Oosterheem-West (postcode 2729).

=== Wijkposten ===
Zoetermeer has a network of "''wijkposten''" ("neighbourhood stations"), which provide more direct contacts between the municipality and the inhabitants of the neighbourhoods. The ''wijkposten'' employ personnel to deal with housing issues and provide space for local police officers. There are six ''wijkposten'' throughout Zoetermeer. Buytenwegh de Leyens, Meerzicht, Oosterheem and Rokkeveen have a ''wijkpost'' each, while Noordhove and Seghwaert share a common station and ''Wijkpost Center'' serves Dorp, Driemanspolder, Palenstein and Stadscentrum, which are for some purposes also lumped together as "Zoetermeer Centrum".<ref>[http://www.zoetermeer.nl/over-zoetermeer/wijkposten_3821/ "Wijkposten"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717012130/http://www.zoetermeer.nl/over-zoetermeer/wijkposten_3821/ |date=July 17, 2012 }}, on www.zoetermeer.nl (official webpage of the municipality of Zoetermeer) {{in lang|nl}}</ref>

=== Other Former Neighbourhoods ===

==== Dorp (1962) ====
Literally meaning "village", this ''wijk'' covers mostly the territory of the pre-existing village of Zoetermeer, with the central ''Dorpstraat'' (village street) with historic buildings serving as a shopping and recreation area. The area also features the historic ''De Hoop'' [[windmill]], which unlike many other windmills in the area used for drainage, has always been used as a flourmill. The postcode for Zoetermeer-Dorp is 2712.

==== Driemanspolder (1965) ====
Driemanspolder (postcode 2713) was the first area to be developed as part of modern Zoetermeer, and contains mostly large multi-apartment buildings characteristic of the era. It is next to the A12 motorway, which forms the southern border of the ''wijk'', and directly north of the [[Zoetermeer railway station]] (which is on the other side of A12).

==== Palenstein (1966) ====
Palenstein (postcode 2722) is north of the Dorp, deriving its name from the former Castle of Palenstein, which used to be there. It mainly consists of highrise residential development. A rejuvenation project was started in Palenstein in 2006, providing for the renovation of some and demolition of other older buildings.

==== Seghwaert (1975) ====
[[Seghwaert]] was formed around what was the former village of [[Zegwaart]] (or Zegwaard), which fused with Zoetermeer in 1935, using the archaic spelling of the locale's name. The old Zegwaart was a [[ribbon development]] along what remains until today as ''Zegwaartseweg'', which is perpendicular to ''Dorpstraat''. It is further divided into Seghwaert-Oost (postcode 2723), -Midden (postcode 2724) and -Noord (postcode 2727).