Utrecht wants to build what it calls the longest riverbank park in the Netherlands, a continuous 12-kilometer loop for walking and cycling along the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal and the Merwedekanaal. The municipality announced on Friday that residents can now submit ideas for the park's design, and suggest a name for it, through an online questionnaire open until 2 October.

The project, currently known by its working title "Rondje Stadseiland," would wind past Oog in Al, Kanaleneiland and the Merwedekanaalzone as a green ribbon along the water. According to planning outlet Stadszaken, which covered the plan when the city's execution program was published in 2024, the finished park would cover 45 hectares. The municipality's own project page does not repeat that figure, but confirms the 12-kilometer route and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Growth is the reason

The gemeente frames the park as a response to Utrecht's own growth. The city expects more than 100,000 additional residents by 2040, concentrated especially in its western districts, and says that growth requires more room for green space, water and places to exercise or relax.

Alderman Susanne Schilderman, responsible for public space and greenery, said the park is meant to do more than look good. "It offers room for plants and animals, provides cooling on hot days, and helps absorb rainwater better," she said in the announcement, adding that the canal banks offer "a unique opportunity" for a park where residents can walk, exercise, relax and meet one another.

Built in pieces, not at once

The municipality is not building the loop all at once. One section, the Stadsstrand Oog in Al, has been finished since 2019. Two others, Parkzone Johan Wagenaarkade and Parkzone Den Hommel, are currently under development, along with the canal banks near the Merwedekanaalzone redevelopment. A cycling and pedestrian bridge over the canal at Leidsche Rijn still needs to be completed before residents can walk or cycle the full circuit.

The city says it expects the entire park to be finished around 2035, but acknowledges the schedule for several remaining sections is not yet fixed, since the municipality is timing that work to coincide with other area developments already under way nearby.

The plan itself is not new. Utrecht's city council adopted a design framework for the park in September 2022 and received a progress update the following year, followed by a letter to the council about the 2024–2026 execution program in October 2024. What is new this week is the invitation for public input and a name, running through the DenkMee Utrecht participation platform.

Residents who want to weigh in can fill out [the questionnaire on DenkMee Utrecht](https://denkmee.utrecht.nl/nl-NL/projects/rondje-stadseiland/) through 2 October 2026.