According to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, creating space for industrial areas is necessary to realize a sustainable economic growth. Currently, the average time needed to redevelop an industrial area in the Netherlands is 10 years. Furthermore, almost 30% of the Dutch stock of industrial areas is obsolete. In contrast to this is the redevelopment of the industrial area ‘Parque das Naçöes’. This urban development project, accommodating the Lisbon 1998 world exhibition, was completed within a very short period and shows almost no signs of ageing. This was achieved through the establishment of an independent business structure. This paper discusses the nature of the organizational problems of industrial area redevelopment in the Netherlands and introduces a possible new approach, derived from the Lisbon-experience.