In this introduction, we show that whereas "home" in public discourses in the United States and many other Western countries is most often conceived of as a personal space, particularistic and exclusive, free from any external (state) interference, in the Netherlands, the metaphor of home as a public and ideological space is increasingly being used by policy-makers, urban planners, and social workers to legitimize their political programs, policies, and social interventions. They aim to make everyone feel at home in the nation, the city, and the neighborhood. This special issue Homing the Dutch: Politics and the Planning of Belonging deals in particular with the strong tendency in the Netherlands to govern and stimulate feelings of home and belonging in public space, building on an old tradition. The case studies that are being presented, all address instances of different (state-supported) projects or policies that attempt to improve social cohesion, integration, and livability by

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Iconography of home and the politics of representation ABSTRACT This article discusses the iconography of home and the representation of space in Zaanstad, a Dutch city on the northern fringe of the metropolitan region of Amsterdam. Zaanstad is saturated with iconic images of local, regional, and national identity. Linking questions of home and belonging to the politics of symbolic representation, the current article examines home as a multi-sided field of action. Large-scale redevelopments frame home as a regional landscape of belonging, cast in vernacular architecture, and landmark buildings. Grassroots initiatives to revitalize working-class communities highlight identities based on class and local culture. The empirical case studies locate the politics of urban space in the symbolism that professionals and residents use for "homing" their city. Combining the study of