Almere is only 30 years old, built by the Dutch from nothing on perfectly flat, reclaimed land to the east of Amsterdam.

It was built to tackle a housing shortage in the capital and offers a leafy alternative to Amsterdam.

The town is criss-crossed by dedicated bus and cycle routes, keeping car traffic to a minimum.

Among Almere's many surprises is the artificial hill at its centre, which conceals a warren of car parks and roads.

Another thing concealed is a piped waste disposal network which literally sucks rubbish out of public bins...

...and delivers it to a single, box-like depot for bin lorries which is nicknamed The Vacuum-Cleaner.

New buildings like this theatre are going up all the time and Almere hopes eventually to become the country's fourth city.